The Silver Necklace
by Glitterb1234
Summary: Somewhere, there is a world where Twilight, its characters and events are real. Becky is a girl from our world who can travel back and forth from one to the other. This is her story. My own character and ideas, please let me know what you think.
1. Prologue

People would kill for my life. Literally

For over 10 years now, my life has been ringed on all sides by danger and jealousy. I'm still not safe, but things are settling down. The enemies are disappearing, one by one; some destroyed, some discouraged, some defeated- lots of'd' word really.

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if Fate and Destiny hadn't chosen me; If one of the other millions of girls on this planet had been in my place. But I don't wonder for long. I know it's not possible.

You're probably thinking, 'who _is _this woman, and what is she rabitting on about?' I understand. It was confusing for me at first too. Ok, here goes.

I was born Rebecca Kathleen Wainwright on September the 28th, 1995 AD. When I was 13, my parents gave me a necklace for my birthday. It was pretty, silver and shaped like a bow, not really valuable, just metal and plastic gems. What they didn't realise is that The Necklace is much, _much, __**MUCH **_more than just a simple piece of jewellery. It is a link between our world and something beyond imagination.

Our planet orbits the sun along with eight others to form a solar system. Our solar system is part of a galaxy; a huge mass of burning stars circling what scientists assume is a black hole. There are millions of galaxies, as numerous as the stars, which make up the universe. Most people stop there. But...there is something bigger, something outside our universe and our understanding.

A multiverse, with universes clustered around each other, crossing over each other, putting parts of themselves into each other in the form of fiction; books, movies, plays etc.

That's how it works; and I can go there. The Necklace lets me cross the gaps between the universes, to visit places others can only dream of and read about. I can also have anything I want, just by wanting it. Really, anything! Knowledge, power, physical objects, anything. I don't use it so much; I prefer to do things my way.

I've been to so many wonderful places in my life, seen so many things, gained so many friends; but my favourite place is not the biggest, the most glamorous, the most wonderful, or the sunniest. To anyone in that world, the town I chose to go to would not be the most obvious choice. But I know _you _will understand.

In February of 2010, when I was almost 14 and a ½, I spent 2 weeks in Forks, Washington, USA, Universe 24735. Or, as I like to call it, The Twilight Zone.


	2. Chapter 1: Here We Go Again

Why is it that the hardest part of school is the end?

My mind was floating randomly through a million different things in the course of a second, vainly trying to find _something _to occupy itself. It was Friday, the last Friday before February half term, and Mr Krucks's year 9 science class were chattering to each other across the aisles of the desks. Only a few were watching the U rated musical projected onto the board. I wished it could capture my attention, but I'd already seen it twice over the course of the day.

It was the last lesson before the end of school. I should be excited. I had a whole week ahead of me, with plenty of time for the things that were important to me. Just one thing, actually. Alex.

Alex.

Alex Alex Alex Alex.

I couldn't get him out of my head, although that wasn't exactly a bad thing. I let my mind wander, tracing back over the last few months; the happiest months I had ever had. After my abrupt departure from the realms of fiction and fantasy (I got hit on the head and came home in a coma), Alex had been the most wonderful boyfriend anyone ever had. He walked with me to every lesson, even if we weren't in the same class. He didn't mind if I sat with him and his friends at lunch, and he was perfectly content to brave the gaggle of girls that I sat with.

Allie, Gemma, Susie and Beth were the best friends a girl could ask for, always up for shopping trips, and completely understanding when I wanted to spend time with Alex, although none of them had ever had anyone like him before.

Alex was sat next to me now, and I looked at him at the exact same moment he looked at me, both of us smiling. Alex had understood everything about the Necklace almost instantly, and it made it easier having him know. The Necklace. Ever present in my life, the tiny silver bow glowed dimly under my shirt. I clapped my hand over it before it could attract attention in the dark room, and Alex's grin widened. He took my hand and began gently playing with my fingers. I rolled my eyes at his attempt to distract me, pulled my hand free, and reached into my school bag. Reading was almost as good as going to the places for real. My imagination had always been wild.

It was _his_ turn to roll his eyes as I pulled out a dog eared copy of New Moon by Stephanie Meyer and turned to the folded page. I smiled at him and immersed myself in the world of vampires and werewolves. I loved this book. Although some parts were hard for me to read, I kept going back to the Romeo-and-Juliet-style story line that was still entirely individual. Something about Bella Swan, the way she looked at the world, perhaps, or the fact that she saw everything in detail, made her one of my favourite characters in fiction.

_If you like it so much, why don't you go there?_

I turned to look at Alex, as if he had spoken aloud.

He was bizarrely nonchalant about my mind reading. I had picked it up after re-reading Twilight a few months back, marvelling at Edward's unique gift, and wishing I could do it too. Of course, thanks to the Necklace, as soon as I wished it, I could. It was a little different though; I could only hear a person's thoughts if I was listening, or if they wanted me to hear them.

Alex had thought nothing of it when I had told him, accepting it just as coolly as everything else. He regularly talked to me in lessons this way. Sometimes I wrote notes back, sometimes I conveyed what I wanted on my face. Now I raised my eyebrows and stared at him. He hated being away from me. He had to be chased away from the bus by the teachers every day, and if we hadn't lived in different villages, he would have walked me home. So why was he suggesting that I go somewhere that he couldn't see me every day, where he couldn't just call if he wanted to talk?

I took my school planner off the desk, flipped it open to the next week and jabbed a finger at the huge red heart I had doodled on the page around the words 'A whole week of heaven'. I was subtly reminding him that his grandparents had let him invite me to their summer house in Cornwall for half term. Stephen and Eileen Parks, too old to do much travelling, trusted the two of us to manage alone for the week, and both of us had been looking forward to it.

_There will be other holidays. Besides, I think my dad would rather I spent time with him._

Alex's father Henry lived in London, at the other huge estate owned by their family. His family was phenomenally rich. Alex could have gone to almost any school in the country, but he had chosen to come to Swindon and live with his grandparents, so he could go to an ordinary school and have an ordinary life. I was eternally grateful that he had; if he hadn't, we would never have met.

I grabbed a pen from my pencil case and began scribbling furiously across the blank page at the back of the book.

'But Alex' I wrote, 'if I go away, we can't talk to each other, for who knows how long.'

_I don't mind. I know you miss it, the excitement of the unknown and all that. You're always doodling in that book of yours. _

He reached across and tapped the pictures scrawled all over my planner; eyes, drawn with pencils and pens, some black and white, some coloured, a few scribbled out completely. He let his hand run over one area in particular, where 8 pairs clustered together. The ones in the centre were brown, and the 7 that surrounded it were various shades of gold and ochre. I rolled my eyes. My obvious obsession with Bella and the Cullen family didn't mean I would leave him willingly. I jotted down a short note expressing this, and then looked towards the front. The teacher had stopped the film and turned the lights on, and was trying in vain to calm the class down as the final minutes ticked by. No one was listening to him, but everyone packed away their things in a rush, and they all somehow managed to hear the bell. A cheer erupted from the class as they surged towards the door. Mr Krucks gave up trying to organise them and sat down at his desk, fanning himself with the lunch menu from that morning. He waved to us as we exited behind everyone else, hand in hand; attempting to avoid the crush in the corridor. "Have a good holiday sir!" I called as we left.

We walked silently through the half empty corridors, hands swinging between us, until we found a quiet spot just off the main hall. Alex immediately started talking.

"Becks, I know you think I can't handle you not being here, but I'll deal with it, OK? Dad really does want to see me, and Grandma doesn't really want to leave us alone all week. You can sync up time if you like, you know, so it will be like you never left, and we can still have that time together. Your parents could still think you're coming with me and we'll think of something to tell Grandma. I just can't stand seeing you unhappy, Becky."

I sighed. "Alex, I have never been happier in my life. I can go somewhere else whenever I want. It doesn't have to be now."

"I really don't mind Becky. Go and have some fun. Anyone can see that you miss it; you're always fidgeting and school goes too slowly for you without the adventure."

He smiled at me and I melted like hot wax, wrapping my arms around his neck. He put his hands on my waist and held me close. I sighed, and he grinned, realising I had given in.

"Won't you miss me?" I asked in my most sugary sweet, girl-next-door voice.

"Of course I will. Even if you're only gone for a second or two, I'll miss you like crazy."

His eyes looked sadly into mine, and I looked sadly back. I forced myself to smile, and then said, "I'll come to your house tomorrow, as we planned, while your grandparents are out. We'll go to the bottom of your garden and I'll go from there, OK?"

He just nodded and tried to smile too. "I love you." he whispered.

"Of course you do." I smiled again, and reached up to kiss him. His hands tightened, and then he released me. "You're going to miss your bus," he reminded me. I pouted, but pecked him on the cheek and ran to the bus waving at him until he was out of sight.

***

The next day, my mum dropped me at the huge ornate gates of the Parks House estate, with a tearful kiss and a sniffly "have fun". I waved until she disappeared, then began to walk up the foot path by the drive, dragging my single suitcase and bending over slightly under the weight of my backpack.

Parks House was enormous. It had been built during the reign of Edward VII as a summer home, but Sir Fredrick Parks, who established the family fortune, had given it to his son Harold as a wedding present. Since then, the two properties had been passed to alternate generations, (Henry had inherited Parks Manor in London from his grandfather, Alex would inherit Parks House from Stephen) and money had been shared between them. The front was all white, a little faded with age, and decorated with columns and stone carved lion heads. Inside the house had six bedrooms, all with en suites, three further bathrooms, two studies, a library, a drawing room, two living rooms, a monumental kitchen, a dining room and, my favourite, the ballroom.

I liked the ballroom because it was unquestionably the most beautiful room in the house. It had marble columns along the walls making shallow little alcoves and hidey holes, and gold decoration on the ceiling. An enormous crystal chandelier cast rainbows across the room in the sunlight, reflected by the big French doors and the mirrors along one wall. The floor was polished and wide, uninterrupted by furniture save for a few guilt chairs around the edge and the huge black grand piano in one corner. I wasn't much of a musician-I preferred singing- but I did play the piano now and then, and I had never played anything to compare with the crystal clarity and ringing sound that this particular instrument produced.

On a normal day, I would have gone up the ten sloping steps to the front door, knocked, and waited for Richard, the butler, to let me in. But today I was being secretive, so instead I gently floated my suitcase off the ground so it wouldn't make a noise, and darted around the side of the house to the garden.

The garden was as big if not bigger than the house. It was half lawn, dotted with beds of roses, tulips and lavender, and half lake, the vast expanse of water planted with water lilies and lotus flowers and home to a family of graceful white swans and a seemingly infinite number of little green frogs.

I spotted Alex waiting for me by the waters edge and I ran over to him, a huge smile on my face. He smiled back and opened his arms to me. I went into them and kissed him softly on the lips. He sighed and pulled away.

"I don't have to go." I reminded him.

He smiled weakly. "I already told Dad I would spend the holiday with him. Grandma thinks you decided to go to France with your parents, so that's all sorted. You can take the whole week if you like." His smile turned a little sad. I pressed my hand against his cheek and looked into his eyes. "I love you," I told him, very serious, "never forget that."

"I won't" he promised, and leaned in to kiss me again. When he broke away I laid my cheek against his shoulder and we hugged each other tightly.

"I'll miss you Lexi." I whispered, using the nickname his mum had used for him that I had adopted.

"Miss you already Becky-boo" he murmured.

I pulled away with a sigh, took hold of the handle of my suitcase and waved once before closing my eyes in concentration and snapping my fingers.

The wind whistled past me as I travelled through the non-reality between the worlds. I kept my eyes tight shut, not wanting to see the terrifying sights that raced past me. The next second the wind stopped and I landed on two feet, bending my knees to absorb the impact. Unfortunately, my suitcase's landing wasn't quite so perfect, and it toppled over, hitting my legs and knocking me to the ground. I huffed and heaved myself up off the grass, plonking my backpack down and looking around. I was in a wide grassy space, standing by a fairly large white washed house with attached garage and a lilac front door. I smiled. Lillian had already been here, that much was clear.

Lillian was my guardian. I was the twelfth girl to wear the Necklace, and, as the most recent before me, Lillian had been assigned to give me a hand. She helped me to use the Necklace for good and made sure I didn't make a mess of reality. She told me when I was about to catch up with the stories I went to and that it was time to go home. She told me when I should and shouldn't use my power for something, and she covered for me in times of emergency (like when I had my accident and she made it look like I had fallen down the stairs at school, rather than getting caught in an avalanche as I had done). She was my best friend, someone who understood, because she had been in my position. Her guardian hadn't been as vigilant, though, and Lillian had had no one to stop her when she made her Mistake.

Each of the Shining Sisters (so called because they looked like beautiful shining women) had made a Mistake, used the Necklace's power in a way that changed reality beyond repair, and been removed from the timeline completely, except for Hope, the leader, because she was the first. Most of the Mistakes came down to greed, jealousy or selfishness, ranging from making Romeo love them instead of Juliet, to reanimating a dead relative, to Lillian, who had taken a star out of the sky and kept it in a jar under her bed for a month, until the constellations shifted and Hope found out. I shivered. Lillian had only been 15 when she was 'removed', she had lasted the longest so far out of the others. Each outlived the last by no more than a few months. If I followed the pattern, I wasn't going to make it to 16.

Brushing away the dark thoughts, I grabbed my bags, opened the front door of the house and dragged them inside. I was greeted by a wide hall with pale pink walls and a curving glass staircase. A small purple end table held a phone and a set of keys, with my school bag resting against its base. I smiled again. Lillian was very good.

I dumped my things (I would unpack later), grabbed my bag and the keys and went back outside, locking the door behind me; although I seemed to be quite far out in the forest, you never knew when someone would come along out of the blue and decide to have a look around. Suddenly curious, I closed my eyes and let my mind roam outward, trying to pinpoint my exact location. In my minds eye, I saw the road twist in both directions from the end of my short driveway. About 2 miles in one direction, a secluded little drive was almost hidden in the dense foliage-the Cullen's house- and 5 miles past that were the outer limits of Forks. 8 miles the other way was the edge of the La Push reservation, home to the Quileute Indian tribe and their wolf protectors. With a jolt, I realized my house sat exactly on the invisible vampire/werewolf treaty line. Frowning, I decided I needed to ask the Necklace for a time check. _Monday, March 30__th, 2006 _floated into my head, followed by _You are 18._ My age matched up to the main character in the story so I could blend in more easily. In this case, that meant Bella. If she was 18 and it was March... that meant I was in the short space of time between the end of New Moon and the beginning of Eclipse (I tended to avoid planting myself actually _into _the story; too much chance of things going wrong). I had two weeks, max. I could live with that.

***

I teleported to school, promising myself I would sort out a car before tomorrow. It was lunch time, but the red headed Ms. Cope on reception didn't seem surprised by my late arrival. Everything had been arranged before hand by Lillian. I was a foreign exchange student, here for two weeks to learn about similarities and differences between British and American culture. Ms. Cope probably thought I had jet lag and had slept in. She gave me a schedule and a map, smiling and saying "...and welcome to America dear," as I walked out of the office.

People stared as I walked to the cafeteria to get some food, but I ignored them, concentrating instead on the fact that it was unusually sunny for Washington, and wondering if it was women's intuition or Lillian's planning that had prompted me to wear a short sleeved t-shirt today. I bought my lunch and scanned the rows of heads, as if I was looking for a seat. I was really looking for something much more specific.

Ah ha!

The two girls sat together in the crowded lunch room, chatting across the table while the boy next to them engaged himself in a comic book. They both had brown hair, worn straight down their backs. One girl wore glasses, while the other had slightly curlier hair and chocolate brown eyes. I smiled. The only empty seat in the cafeteria was next to that girl. How perfect.

"Excuse me," I said, faking shyness, "can I sit here? There's no where else to go."

"Of course!" the girl with glasses smiled at me, "I'm Angela, and this is Ben."

The boy nodded in recognition of his name, then returned to his book.

"Hi, I'm Becky Wainwright. I'm on a foreign exchange here from England... is something wrong with her?"

The other girl was staring into space, not listening at all.

"Ignore Bella," Angela said kindly, "she's always like this when it's sunny. She just misses Edward."

"Who's he?"

Bella answered, breaking out of her daze at the name. "He's my... boyfriend," she said, as if she weren't sure if that was a good word. "His family are really adventurous and their dad takes them hiking when it's nice out. They're on a camping trip right now. It's been like this all week." I tried not to giggle at Bella's glum expression. Instead I just smiled and looked out the window at the sun. Summoning my power, I pictured a dark cloud over the sun and slowly moved my hand under the table, closing it into a fist and twisting it around.

"What if I could guarantee that your Edward will be back for next period?" I asked, turning back to the girls at the table.

"I'd say you're crazy. There's no way..." Bella trailed off as she looked out the window. A large grey cloud had crossed the sun, and there was an audible groan from the students as the rain began.

"I think the camping trip is over." I mused quietly, grinning.

***

Edward was in class next period, sat calmly in a seat near the back, waiting for Bella. I was in that class too, and he looked at me curiously when we entered. I had trouble suppressing another giggle. The teacher sat me at the empty desk behind them, and Bella turned around to chat.

"I guess you were right Becky. You're pretty good at predicting impossibilities."

"I told you Bella. I guaranteed it."

"Will someone introduce me, or do I have to listen to inconsequential chatter for an hour?" There was a slight edge of frustration in Edward's voice, a frustration that was rarely seen in him.

"Of course! How rude of me." My accent seemed to surprise Edward. I nearly giggled again. "My name is Rebecca Wainwright, but you can call me Becky. I'm on an exchange here from England. You must be Edward Cullen. It's nice to meet you." I said all this so fast that Edward was left looking a little confused. He seemed to register that my hand was out, and he gingerly shook it. His hand was ice cold; he eyed me suspiciously but I just smiled wider. Class started then, and Edward and Bella turned round to concentrate. I listened carefully, focusing on him while still listening reflexively to the lecture and taking notes. Edward wasn't concentrating on the lesson (of course). His thoughts continually strayed to me. _Who _is_ she? _he thought, _Where did she come from? And why did I have such a strange feeling that I've met her before?_

_Aw, you're thinking about me!_

I had pulled up a protective barrier around myself when I had arrived, not wanting to be at the mercy of whatever vampire abilities I encountered, but it was flexible enough that I could carefully pull it back and allow Edward to hear me as if I had spoken aloud. I read the shock as he heard my voice, heard him struggle not to freeze and give himself away.

_Ssh _I whispered _no one else can hear, and Bella will get worried if you react._

Edward was perfectly still. He didn't dare move an inch. He was sure the voice was mine. Even from our short conversation, he could recognise my smooth accent and refined manner of speech. It suddenly dawned on him that he hadn't been able to hear me when I had walked in. He usually tuned out the thoughts of the people around him, and he hadn't been trying to hear because I'd been with Bella, the only exception to his talent.

_I know what you are Edward. You and your family._

Edward stiffened. He couldn't help it. I saw Bella shoot him a worried glance and he tried to smile reassuringly. She didn't seem convinced, but she turned back to the teacher.

_How can you know?_ Edward thought, sure that I could hear him. _Did Bella tell you? She wouldn't do that._

_Bella didn't tell me, I knew already._

_How?_

_I just did. It's incredibly complicated to explain, so I won't try, just trust me when I say I mean you no harm._

Edward risked a confused glance over his shoulder at me. I was facing the front, craning my neck slightly to see over Bella's head and doodling on my book without looking. I acted as if I had noticed him looking at me and smiled warmly.

_How do you know about us? _Edward was careful to speak only in thoughts. This was private, and Bella didn't need to be involved.

My voice wrang in his head, though I did not move. _Meet me in your little meadow tonight and I will attempt to explain._

Edward knew the place, he went there often. _Very well. 11:30 tonight._

_Why the late hour? You may not need it, but I get cranky if I don't sleep._

_(How does she know so much?)_ _Bella won't go to sleep until at least 11:15, and I won't leave her until she does._

_Then bring her with you_

_NO! I still don't know what you are, and I don't want to lead her to danger._

_I told you Edward, I mean you no harm. I am completely human. I will not harm Bella. On the contrary, _I laughed softly, _I'm hoping we will be good friends._

**Whoa that was a long chapter! i will submit more when i have time to type it up. **

**What do you think of Becky? reveiw PLEASE!!!!**

**i love reveiws 3**


	3. Chapter 2: Alice and Jacob

**Hey guys!**

**The response to my work in the last few days has been phenomenal, so I just want to thank all of you for all the support. Seriously, my one-shot 'Following an Angel' got reviews THE DAY I POSTED IT, which is faster then I've ever had them.**

**Luv u!**

**Ps sorry this is taking so long, most is written but in 3****rd**** person. I'm working on changing it over, so please bear with me. Thanks!**

* * *

I'd always had a talent for avoiding people. At school, I would find the most secluded places to just sit and think in total silence, uninterrupted by anyone.

So it was a simple matter to find just the right place around the back of the cafeteria where the forest almost touched the buildings and no one would see. I slipped into the forest, picking my way through the dense underbrush.

I had had an idea, and, in order to try it out, I had to be a good distance from humans, or it could go horribly wrong. Also, my only other way of getting home was to teleport, and I really didn't want to deal with that twice in one day (it made me a little dizzy and it could get disorientating).

When I was sure I was far enough in, I stopped, putting my bag on the ground, and closed my eyes in concentration. I had to force my mind to match it all up, make things fit just right. I also had to word this carefully. If I wasn't careful, I could end up... well, I don't know what.

I focused, thinking carefully through the words. With practise, I knew I would be able to do this in my head, but it was better to speak aloud the first time. I took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Forces of the Multiverse," I said, my voice confident and clear, "I ask that you lend me your power to do with as I may, as my destiny has proclaimed I might, to grant my hearts desire." The next part always made me feel like a little girl, it sounded so childish after the grand speech. "I wish to become as I would be if a vampire had bitten me and I had completed the Change. I wish for the control demonstrated by the Cullen family, so that I might have the benefits of the Change without being a danger to my fellow humans. As the Bridge, I am within my rights to ask these things and ask that you grant my wish."

I felt the power surge through me as I finished speaking, a rush of heat through every inch of me. I waited until it calmed, felling dimly the sensation of my feet lifting from the floor and settling again, before I opened my eyes.

It was amazing. I could see every tiny detail of the scene in front of me, every leaf and every twig and every speck of dirt. I could hear every insect in the dense brush of the forest floor and smell the trails of a thousand different animals around me. They didn't smell appealing, but that was normal. I turned to my bag, and I was suddenly standing in the spot it had been in, the brown fabric between my hands. It was just like Bella had described in Breaking Dawn; as soon as an action was considered, it was done. I laughed to myself, and it sounded like the sound they use in theatres, when they put on Peter Pan, to announce Tinkerbell's arrival and illustrate her speech.

I hooked my little compact mirror out of my bag and flipped it open. The face I saw looked like mine, just a little more rounded and grown up, though I couldn't be sure, as I was still getting used to 18 year old me. I smiled at the golden eyes staring up at me, and my teeth glittered in eight colour rainbows. It was perfect, just what I wanted.

I put the mirror away and slung my bag over my shoulder again. It was light as a feather, despite the big biology text book and new gym clothes that had joined my pencil case and notebooks. I sniffed, trying to catch the scent of my new home, finding it easily, even with the plethora of other smells attempting to catch my interest. Then I turned for home, took a deep, unnecessary breath, and began to run.

I laughed as the wind whistled past me. This was phenomenal! I rocketed through the trees, scaring the little animals around me and scattering a herd of elk as I barrelled past them. Something occurred to me then that hadn't before. There was no burn in my throat, not even a little bit. I knew it never went away, no matter how much a vampire fed, and being close to my preferred food source should have kicked it up a notch, but I had felt nothing. I was nearly home, so I decided to enjoy it now and worry later.

I Changed back about a hundred metres from the edge of my lawn. I was right on the edge of wolf territory here, and an unfamiliar vampire scent might get them agitated and hostile. I didn't want a fight.

But when I walked through the last of the trees, still smiling and exhilarated after my run, I saw something that stopped me in my tracks.

A russet brown wolf as tall as a horse was standing calmly in the middle of the grassy space, staring at my house with his head cocked slightly to one side. I gasped and the big head twisted around to stare at me with curious black eyes. I listened carefully, trying to pick up his thoughts.

_What is it Jacob?_ A voice asked. It was floaty and distant, like a memory of the words, but I knew immediately that this was the sound of the pack mind. It was uncluttered, almost empty. There were only five wolves at the moment, and it seemed that only a few were present.

_I'm not sure Sam, _Jacob replied, his mind much stronger, loud and clear, because he was standing right in front of me. _I came out to run the line, check the bloodsuckers aren't taking liberties, and this house comes out of nowhere. It's weird; the line just bends around it on both sides, like it's neutral or something, but I don't remember it ever being here, or re-arranging the line, or anything. Then this kid turns up, just the same, out of nowhere. This is really weird-can you see Sam? - she's just staring at me like I'm interesting her._

I giggled. "You _are_ interesting me Jacob." I said, realising that I must have unconsciously shifted to my true age as I Changed, because my voice was higher, more childlike. I checked Jacob's thoughts and... yes, I was fourteen again, just a girl.

I laughed again as his eyes popped wide and his jaw dropped. The very human expression looked absolutely hilarious on his animal face.

_What the... _Sam's voice said, _Jake, do you know her?_

_No sir, I can truthfully say that I have never seen this chick in my life. I don't know how she knows who I am or how she has basically just answered my thoughts or why she's looking at me like that or what she's doing here or anything and I am just plain freaked right now. _He stopped, mentally breathless and unable to say more. I laughed again.

"You're funny Jake," I said, "a big strong werewolf like you freaked out by a teenager like me. By the way," I pursed my lips, trying not to giggle, " you're on my lawn."

_One sec, _Jacob thought, turning to face me fully now, _can you hear my thoughts?_

"Yup"

_Everything? _

"If you're thinkin' it, I'm hearin' it."

_So how do you know what we are? _Sam asked. He was catching on.

"That's... complicated. And very hard to explain, or believe. Perhaps another time."

_Aww come ON! Seriously? Your just gonna leave us hangin' like that?_ another voice yelled. I winced.

_Shut up Paul. _Sam and Jacob said in sync.

_But..._

_No buts. _Sam's voice was full of authority_._ W_e'll trust you for now_ he said to me _you obviously know what you're getting yourself into by putting your house there. If you need us, feel free to call._

_But Sam..._

_I SAID NO BUTS! Phase back Paul, we'll discuss this later._

_Fine._

Paul's awareness faded into silence.

"Thank you," I said, and I meant it, "He was giving me a headache."

_Yeah, Paul's like that sometimes. _Jacob chuckled. _Like Sam said, anything you need, just come down to the rez and we'll do what we can to help, um..._

"Becky."

_Becky, right. Well, talk to you later?_

"Sure, come by anytime after school. Oh wait, one sec." I had to let the natural forces have there way. Staying my proper age was tiring me out pretty quickly. I closed my eyes and felt myself growing taller by and inch or two, my hair creeping from my chin to my shoulders, aging me exactly 4 years. Jacob yelped.

"This is how I'll look while I'm here, but what you saw before was the real me." I smirked at him. "Toodles"

I left a dumbfounded Jake standing on my lawn and went inside. That was fun.

***

I checked my watch again. 11:26. They would be here any minute. Knowing Edward, they would probably be early. Anyone else would have given up hoping that he would bring Bella with him, but I knew her. If he was going anywhere, she would insist on going with him.

I sat up. I had been lying in the soft, damp grass of the meadow, in the exact centre, reading New Moon again and waiting. I didn't need to be a vampire to have super hearing. Now I could hear the rush of wind and light thudding of infrequent steps that accompanied Edward's run. I shoved the book back into my bag and took out Twilight, then stood and faced the direction I knew they would come from.

The wind stopped. I heard the soft crunch as Bella landed on the ground, and then two more as she began to walk this way. Edward growled.

"What is it?" she whispered, clearly startled. Time to make myself known.

"Come now Edward," I called, loud enough for Bella to hear me, "don't be silly. If you thought she was going to get hurt, why did you bring her?"

He growled again. I switched tracks, knowing I wasn't going to get a civil response from him.

"Come on Bella, I won't hurt you. I just want to talk. Edward wants me to explain myself, and I will, but you have to come out of the trees first."

Bella appeared then, pulling a resigned looking Edward along behind her. I smiled, and her face lit up.

"Hi Becky!" she said, her voice bright and bubbly. Either Edward had told her everything or she had recognised my voice. I tested my hearing, finding that I could get around her shield, and realised it was the former.

"I'm glad he brought you Bella. I was worried he would be difficult, but then, you can be very creative when you want something. Shall we get started?" I held out the book, an invitation. Bella took a step forward, but Edward growled again and held her back. I groaned.

"Honestly! I know you're protective, but I didn't think even you could find fault in a _book_."

He looked wary, but when she moved again, he let her go. I gave her the book and watched her studying the cover; the white hands, the red apple, the title and the line of text informing her that it was an international bestseller.

"Read the blurb." I prompted

"Out loud please." Edward added. He hadn't moved with Bella, and probably felt a bit out of it. I smiled encouragingly at Bella and she flipped the book over.

"About three things I was absolutely certain," she began. She didn't continue. She was frozen in shock, her eyes wide as they scanned the extract and the short paragraph that followed. Her mouth dropped open and there was a whooshing sound as Edward flashed across the grass, taking her into his arms and looking deep into her blank, staring eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly.

"It's...it's...it's not possible!" she spluttered.

He gently eased the book out of her frozen hands and passed it to me.

"Read it." he growled, his glare murderous. I didn't argue with that look.

I spoke slowly, not emphasising any particular words or phrases. I knew this paragraph almost by heart, but I didn't look up.

"About three things I was absolutely certain. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him, and I didn't know how dominant that part might be, that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him."

I took a deep breath and looked up. "I won't read any more. You can probably guess the rest. I just want you to know, this doesn't make you less people. These books exist because of you, not the other way around."

"_These_ books?" Bella asked, her voice shaking a little.

I nodded. "There are four; Twilight and New Moon, which have already happened, and Eclipse and Breaking Dawn, which will happen in the next year. And no, you can't read them." I held up my hand to halt Edward's protest. "If I let you see your future, it could be disastrous. And I'll get in trouble for it. So you'll have to be content with Alice for now. Speaking of which..." I cocked my head to the side, listening.

Yes, I could hear it clearly now, the approaching footsteps, light and quick.

Running.

And that mind! I listened to it, intrigued. It was a mind that lived forever two steps ahead of everyone else. Always in the future, seeing every inch that was decided and seeing the things that changed with every tiny decision. Such an original perspective, I'd never heard anything like it.

I turned to face the edge of the clearing, pushing the book back into my bag. Edward turned too. Bella looked confused.

"Alice is coming?" she asked, unsure.

"Yes." I said, smiling. I unhooked my barrier, like I had with Edward earlier, letting Alice see me here. Her racing steps moved faster, and she broke through the trees, a streak of white skin and black hair and piercing gold eyes.

"Tell me," she pleaded, her high voice trilling like a bird, "tell me everything."

I walked slowly towards her. I could feel the trill I had fought to suppress all day bubbling up. I was well and truly star struck.

"Hello Alice," I said, trying to control my voice, "My name is Becky. It's so nice to finally meet you in person. You look lovely, of course. If you don't mind, I haven't got time to really explain it all right now. It will be easier to put it straight into your head. _Do_ you mind?" I'd done it again, speaking too quickly, leaving her reeling.

She nodded, a look of conviction in her eyes. She could see that this was the only way.

"This may sting a little."

I placed my hands on her cheeks and closed my eyes. I let it flow over me, and her, all the things I needed to share about me and The Necklace and the Sisters and the Multiverse, and everything that I could do. She gasped a few times and winced once under my hands, but otherwise she seemed ok. I finished and let go.

Only to catch her again as she toppled forward. Edward was there in a second, lifting her off me before her weight became too much.

"Alice?" he asked, clearly worried.

"'m fine," she mumbled, "'s jus a headache."

"You head home," I encouraged him, "I'll make sure Bella's safe, don't worry. You get Alice home and in bed. She just needs to lie down for a while." I turned my eyes to Alice. "I can make you sleep if you'd like. A nap always gets rid of my headaches."

She just shook her head, wobbling when the action made her dizzy.

Edward swung her up into his arms, and, with a parting 'sleep well' to me and Bella, disappeared into the dense forest.

Bella looked at me. "How are you gonna get me home?" she asked, speculation obvious in her eyes.

"Like this." I said, smiling and taking her hand. I closed my eyes, instructing her to do the same, and snapped my fingers.

The next second, we were in Bella's messy bedroom. She looked startled, but so much time around the supernatural had made her 'a pro at weird' as she put it. I smiled, wished her good night, and then ported home to a well deserved hot shower and bed.

As I drifted to sleep, I heard a wolf howl in the distance. It wasn't pitiful or sad.

It was comforting.


	4. Chapter 3: School

**Hello again!**

**I've had more computer time than usual recently, which is why I'm getting so much done (one computer, family of 4, bratty little brother... you get the picture). Thanks to VampWolfGirl09 who took the time to review every chapter of this story, also to everyone who has favourited, reviewed, or added to alerts I LUV U ALL 3**

**Things are gonna get a bit sinister soon, but not too much, as I am a perpetually optimistic person and I suck at horror stories ;-P. (doesn't help that I listen to Glee and Owl City while I write)**

**Hope you guy's like this one, sort of a filler chapter between two ideas.**

**Luv always!**

**Glitterb1234**

The next morning, as I drove my new car into the school parking lot, I was acutely aware of everyone staring at me. Good, they needed a taste of quality British engineering.

I had made the car that morning, and it was absolutely perfect. A BMW Mini Convertible; small, square, two doors, shining pale pink in the weak light that filtered through the clouds, with a black soft top sheltering me from the biting wind. I could see the car fanatics descending as I parked next to Edward's distinctive silver Volvo. As soon as I was in the space, I grabbed my bag, climbed out and locked the car in about 5 seconds. I winked at the boys drooling over my car, and crossed the lot to where Edward, Alice and Bella were leaning against the rusty red Chevy and gawking at me, just like everyone else. I pretended not to notice.

"Morning!" I said brightly, "How's your head Alice?"

"Fine, thank you." Alice was smiling too, perfectly at ease. "It hardly hurts at all now."

"That's good. I don't want to cause you pain."

I liked that Alice seemed to like me. I wanted to be friends with all of them as soon as possible.

"What car is that?" Bella asked, sounding uncharacteristically interested.

"You like it? It's a mini." I replied smiling wider.

Even Edward looked confused. "What does that mean?" he asked.

Ok, I knew the Mini was a British thing, but I didn't realise it was _that _unheard of overseas.

I sighed and looked bored, like I was explaining this to a small child for the tenth time.

"It's a BMW Mini Cooper S-class convertible with a custom Bubblegum Pink paint job and a Sony Basspumper sound system. 125 brake horsepower, top speed 150 mph, and V6 engine. My dream car; ostentatious, but I couldn't resist." I shrugged.

"Impressive! And you just made this out of thin air?" Edward asked.

"You catch on fast!" I grinned at him. "I made a whole house for myself. It's only a few miles from yours, you should come over sometime." I glanced at my watch.

"Good lord, is that the time? I better get to class. See you at lunch!" I called over my shoulder as I made my way to the maths building for Calculus, leaving a trail of stunned students in my wake.

I was definitley going to like it here.

***

That day passed in a blur. My teachers welcomed me warmly and seemed impressed by my willingness to contribute, even though I was new and behind. My 2nd hour government teacher said he had never met anyone so polite and friendly. The other students seemed to like me almost instantly; by the end of music 3rd hour, I had been introduced to everybody, and 5 different boys had asked to walk me to my next class, including Eric Yorkie and Tyler Crowley. Jessica Stanley made her usually show of buddying up with the new kid, but I tried to be nice and give her an example of true friendship.

I met Mike Newton in Spanish. He was very helpful, explaining things to me so I could catch up. I hadn't done Spanish in years, (English schools only offer French and German) and my knowledge was incredibly basic. He walked with me to lunch, and seemed delighted that I was already sitting at their table, although his face fell a little when I started chatting to Alice and Angela before I was in my seat. Mike was part of what Bella referred to as 'the us side', but he wasn't as comfortable around the Cullens as Angela was. He talked to Ben about comics and movies, while we talked fashion and Edward and Bella had a quiet conversation of their own, concerning Bella's desire to visit Jake over the weekend.

After lunch I walked to class with Bella again, and we talked until the teacher called us to order. Even then, I was still talking.

Edward asked me questions all lesson, listening intently to my answers. He liked that we could have conversations in our heads. It was nice for him, he said, to have someone to talk to, to alleviate the boredom of the class that he'd done who knew how many times before. He asked questions about my life, my school, my hobbies, and I flashed him pictures of Mum and Dad, our house, my friends, dance lessons, and Alex. He heard the sadness in my thoughts and he was very sympathetic, letting me know he understood, before switching tracks and quizzing me on the events of the past year, testing how much the books had told me.

It was comforting, and I was happy to have found so many good friends here.

When I left, people waved to me like I had always been there, instead of only a day and a half. I went to sleep that night happy and content.

***

The next day at lunch, Alice was looking me over with a speculative expression.

"Honestly Becky," she moaned when I paused to take a bite out of my pizza, "you can wear anything you want to school and you wear _that?_" She waved a hand over me.

To be honest, I hadn't been thinking about clothes. After the first day, when I'd left on the jeans and t shirt I was already wearing, I hadn't bothered with fussing about my appearance; just throwing on my uniform and tying my hair up like I did at home.

Apparently, Alice didn't approve of the white blouse, black trousers and black, blue and white striped school tie that made me feel at home.

I sighed.

"I feel comfortable in these clothes Alice. They're me."

"Still, you could _try _and wear something else." Alice was definitley scheming now; I could see it in her face.

"I don't have that much to choose from. I only brought one case of clothes. Actually, I could use a shopping trip."

_Better to arrange it now than get kidnapped later. _I added mentally, pulling my barrier back so Edward could hear.

He snorted, coughing to cover it up and grinning at me. Alice glared at him briefly then turned back to me. "Well, I'm not busy tonight. We could go to Port Angeles after school."

I considered that for a second. I _did _need some new clothes. England was rainy, but I still had very few clothes that could put up with the extreme and wildly diverse weather of Forks. And it would be nice to get to know Alice better. Why not?

"Sure, I'm not doing anything tonight. I'll have to pop home and get changed, and then I'll meet you at your house." For some reason, I didn't want to reveal the exact location of my house _just _yet.

I smiled as I considered shopping with Alice in a place with such a limited range as Port Angeles.

And then I felt a nervous twist in my stomach as I contemplated meeting the other Cullens.

This was going to be interesting.


	5. Chapter 4: Shopping with Becky

**I decided to put this chapter in Alice's POV for fun, and because I can describe things better this way. Hope you like it.**

How long does it take to say 'see you later'?

I loved Edward and Bella insanely, of course-they were my family- but sometimes their unwillingness to be apart, though romantic, was seriously annoying.

They had been standing by the red scrapheap Bella called a car for 5 minutes, and they showed no sign of moving. I knew Edward could feel my irritation, and, from what he was telling me yesterday, so could Becky. I glanced at her where she sat in her odd little car one space over. She was staring at Bella and Edward, like I had been, but her expression was soft, not irate. I realised I had seen that look before-the 'happy-because-they're-happy' look that Esme always wore when she looked at them.

She looked round, meeting my eye, and smirked. Then she looked back towards Edward, more intensely than before. He looked back at her, then glanced at me and grinned.

I stuck my tongue out at him. A vision of him getting into the car flashed through my head, and I smiled.

As if on cue, Edward kissed Bella softly for a moment and helped her into the truck. He closed the door -always the perfect gentleman- and watched her drive away, a serene smile on his face, before he turned and strolled towards us.

Becky's engine roared to life. She pulled out and drove away just as Edward climbed into the car.

"Sorry Alice," he said, still smiling like a love struck teenager- which he was.

"That's ok Edward, you can't help it."

I wondered idly why Becky hadn't left sooner, if she needed to go home first.

He laughed. "She waited so that she could be sure we would be home before she got there. She's not sure she can handle the others alone."

I didn't blame her. There was nothing scarier than a pissed Rosalie.

***

About half an hour later, I was all set to go shopping.

Esme was excited about meeting Becky; we so rarely made human friends.

Carlisle was curious about her abilities and her knowledge of us, wondering just how far it went.

Jasper was nervous, unsure if he could control himself.

Rosalie was irritated, as predicted. In her opinion, the more humans we associated with, the greater our own personal danger. The fact that Becky already knew about us obviously made no difference to her.

I heard the sound of an engine that was rapidly becoming familiar, and tires turning onto the drive, and saw a flash of Becky's car parked outside.

I squealed, making Jasper, who had his head in my lap, jump a foot in the air, and barrelled down the stairs to the door.

"Hi Alice I -WOAH!"

Becky tried to speak, but I cut her off with a huge hug, making her wobble. I didn't know why I was so thrilled to see her; maybe because this was my first shopping trip with anyone who wasn't crabby, whiny or older than me.

She laughed breathlessly.

"I swear Alice, you have too much energy for one person, especially one so tiny. How do you fit it all in there?"

"Ha ha very funny. Come on, the others are dying to meet you."

"I'll bet," she smirked.

I pulled her into the house, eager to have this over with so we could go. Not that we were going to find much. Ugh! It was killing me that we only had time to get to Port Angeles. Seattle was so much better, and they had designers.

Edward had drifted down from his room and was playing the piano softly. Emmet was watching a ball game. Rosalie was tucked under his arm, doing nothing to hide her sullen expression. Jasper and Carlisle were just coming down the stairs and Esme hurried around the corner from the kitchen, a huge smile on her face.

"Hello," she said, coming to stand a little way away from us, "you must be Becky. It's so nice to meet you."

"Thank you Esme. I'm very happy to meet you too. Your house is even more beautiful than I imagined, and..." Becky blushed, "so are you."

Esme laughed. "Well, that's one I haven't heard before."

Carlisle laughed too, coming to stand beside her. "Hello Becky, my name is Carlisle." He held out his hand and she shook it, smiling and nodding.

"Emmet, Rosalie, don't just sit there, say hello." Esme chastised.

"Yo." Emmet called in his big booming voice, raising one hand, but not turning his eyes from the screen.

Becky giggled. "Hi Em. Hello Rose. Oh!" she gasped, "I'm sorry, please don't think I'm being informal or over familiar or anything, it's just I've read so much about you, I feel like I know you already."

"Don't worry about it Becky." Emmet really turned to look at her now, grinning like a lunatic. Rose just scowled.

Jazz was staring at Becky, looking totally perplexed. She noticed, and smiled at him.

"Something the matter Jasper?" she asked, making all of us start, because no one had introduced him yet. She giggled.

"Silly, I know _everything _about you," she paused, looking straight into his eyes, "Major Whitlock."

Jazz's jaw dropped, and his eyes bugged out of their sockets. Edward was staring at her too, and I knew what he was thinking, what both of us were thinking, under the shock: she knew what Bella knew about us, but we hadn't told her Jasper's story yet, nor did Edward plan to. How could Becky know?

I shook the thought out of my head. Two of the four books hadn't happened yet; Jasper's story must come sometime in the future, but I couldn't see, because the decisions wouldn't be made for a while.

"We better go if we're going to make it home before ten Becky," I said, tugging on her arm.

"Ok," Becky grinned, "I guess I'll see you guys soon. It was nice to meet all of you. See you at school Edward."

"Bye Becky." Edward called, having to shout a bit, as I had already pulled Becky out the door and halfway down the steps to her car.

***

Shopping with Becky was like nothing I had ever experienced. It was strange, to have someone who was as enthusiastic about the process as I was.

The few times I had dragged Bella shopping, she merely grumbled and let me do my own thing, accepting that Alice would be Alice and only complaining that I shouldn't spend so much money on her.

Whenever I went with Rosalie, she chose her own clothes, and was much more interested in her own reflection than anything else. I was left to my own devices while she twirled in front of mirrors, so it was more like shopping alone.

With Becky, there was a balance. She was someone who didn't mind me choosing her clothes, and then had fun trying them on. She suggested things that she liked, but accepted when they didn't look good on her, which wasn't often, as she looked good in a range of different colours and styles. She had changed out of that hideous school uniform into a pair of dark blue jeans and a black short sleeved t shirt, ditching the rain jacket in favour of a fuchsia pink hoody. It was casual, but it suited her.

_Everything _suited her. Jeans, trousers, skirts, dresses, t shirts, blouses, all manner of shoes, from heels to high tops, and all kinds of colours; green, blue, black, yellow, orange, red, brown, pink and purple; though she did favour the last two above others, and she liked floaty, feminine clothes more than trousers.

I was having so much fun; it didn't bother me that I hadn't had a single vision all afternoon. I didn't care that everything I did see was fuzzy and indistinct. Though I'd been dreading a small selection, I didn't mind when we actually got there, and we found almost three bags full of pretty decent clothes that would hold up in the unpredictable Forks weather.

It happened as we were driving along the black highway between Port Angeles and Forks.

The sun had set, and the night was deep blue, the moon a bright light in the sky, almost full, the stars twinkling like diamonds. Becky and I were chatting, as we had been all afternoon, about anything and everything, when, quite suddenly, there was someone in our path. Becky slammed on the brakes, pulling to a stop just inches from the figure, who didn't even flinch. I knew in an instant that it was a nomad; someone who wandered from place to place, never stopping anywhere for long, and answering to no one but themselves.

Before I had time to process this, Becky was out of the car, rushing towards the statue-like vampire with a concerned expression.

_BECKY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? THAT IS A _VAMPIRE_ YOU KNOW! _I yelled at the top of my mental voice, praying she would hear me. She seemed to, because she twisted round slightly to wink at me. I realised she was acting, making the nomad think that we were both ordinary humans.

"Oh my gosh, are you ok?" she asked, putting on an American accent and making her voice sound flustered, "I'm so sorry, I really didn't see you there. My god, I could have killed you! I'm so sorry."

"Not a problem madam," the stranger answered, his voice silky and seductive, "it was my fault entirely, I wasn't listening for traffic as I should have been. If there's any way I can make it up to you and your delightful friend, you have but to say the word." The double meaning in his words would have been obvious to a seven year old.

"Actually, there is something you can do for us," Becky said, sounding a little smug, "you can get the hell out of _our_ territory."

The nomad suddenly looked flabbergasted. "I beg your pardon? I..."

He trailed off, his eyes widening, as Becky glowed softly, lifting slightly off the ground and tilting her head back. When she resettled, everything was the same for one half second. Then the nomad yelped and raced into the trees at top speed.

What on earth? What had Becky done that could terrify a _vampire?_ I got out of the car and hurried over to her.

"Becky? What was that?"

She didn't answer. She just turned so that she was facing me.

It was the biggest shock I had ever had in my life.

Her skin had gone from plain to alabaster, bumpy to smooth, and dull to shimmering. Every feature was perfectly formed, angular, but with a soft, subtle curve, and her body had had all the creases smoothed out. Even in her baggy hoody, she looked like she had just stepped off a runway. Her mousey hair had turned a glorious shade of light, gold flecked brown. Most shocking of all, her once grey eyes were a brilliant gold, just like mine.

If my heart had been beating, it would have stopped.

"Becky. What... what did you _do_?" My voice was breathless and weak.

"You like it?" she asked in a voice like golden syrup, smiling sweetly with glittering teeth, "I worked out how to do this on Monday. It's absolutely perfect, not a single fault. And it's so much fun! I made it home in all of five minutes." She grinned at me wickedly.

"But... how could you do that? If you turned yourself on Monday... you were human Tuesday morning and... Becky, how do you go back?"

"Easy! Well, not so easy, it takes a lot of concentration to do this, but it's fairly simple."

Becky closed her eyes and took a deep breath. A little frown crossed her features as she focused, then the soft glow returned. She didn't lift this time, but I could see the changes: hair that had been shining turned dull; skin darkened; stunning vampiric perfection became average human beauty. Her eyes were ashy grey again when they opened.

"Ok, that is just crazy," I said, when I could speak again. Becky laughed.

"Yeah, life gets pretty mad when I'm around. Alex always says the only thing more unpredictable than hanging out with me is the British weather." She laughed again.

My interest perked up again, madness forgotten, as we climbed into the car. "Who's Alex?" I asked. Becky blushed.

"He's, um... he's my boyfriend at home. He was the one who suggested I come here."

"He knows about you?"

"Yeah, ever since I had this really bad accident and I decided to tell him everything," she smiled, her expression soft, "he always understands. He doesn't freak out or anything and he can spot when I want to go travelling before I even know it. Little things, he says, like reading the same book over and over, or doodling, or talking about something a lot; they tell him that I'm bored with normal life and need a break." She looked at the road, and I don't think I imagined the tear on her cheek.

"Do you miss him?"

She nodded. "We were supposed to be spending the week together, for the school holidays, but he told me to come here, have some fun. I think he's going to see his dad in London."

I could see that this was hard for Becky, so I dropped the subject and started asking her more about her girl friends at school. They sounded hilarious, always doing silly things and making her laugh.

We had arranged it so that I would go back to Becky's house and help her put away the new stuff, then run home afterwards. I got a little worried as we carried on down the road; we were getting awfully close to the boundary line. Did she know about it, or should I tell her?

Just when I was sure we were going to cross over, she turned onto a driveway that wound through the trees like a ribbon, following the treaty line exactly. When the drive opened into a wide grassy lawn, the line seemed to split in two, with our scents on one side, and the wolves on the other.

Becky left me to wander while she made herself dinner, humming along to the music that filled the house thanks to the speakers in every room, controlled from a central hub in the lounge.

The inside of Becky's house was typically girly and fun. Everything was decorated in varying shades of pink and purple, with flowery prints and smooth curves. Two sides of the house were completely glass, and the windows were huge.

The main hallway opened out on either side with arches through to a huge living room and a kitchen/dinning room, and a door through to a small study with a desk, laptop and pigeon holes for stationary like the ones over Esme's desk.

Upstairs there were two large rooms, one on each side, with frosted glass double doors. On the left was a large dance studio; sand coloured floor, ballet bar, one mirrored wall and a huge stereo. More glass doors opened onto a small balcony overlooking the garden and the forest beyond.

On the right was Becky's bedroom. The walls were pale lilac, the floor carpeted in a darker lavender colour. The bed was a big four poster with fuchsia curtains and a baby pink bedspread. It had two pillows, and a dark pink comforter patterned with blanket badges was laid across the covers. At one end of the room was a small door leading to a blue and white bathroom, and at the other, a set of double sliding doors gave access to a walk in closet only a little smaller than mine. But, unlike mine, this closet had nothing in it except a single purple suitcase and the shopping bags Becky had dumped when we got in. I saved her a job by putting all the stuff on hangers and then onto the racks.

All in all, it was a nice house that suited Becky perfectly, showing her personal taste and feelings. I liked it; it was somewhere anyone would be comfortable.

I stayed for a little while longer, chatting and giggling about this that and the other, until Becky yawned loudly and I decided it was time I headed home so that she could get some sleep. She thanked me for the shopping trip, and I ran still smiling from the satisfaction of an enjoyable shopping trip.

For some reason, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being followed.


	6. Chapter 5: Sisters

**Sorry it's taken me so long to get this up; it took me a while to write cos I was away for a week and had a minor case of writers block.**

**Please don't hate me! (Review instead;-P) **

**Glitterb**

* * *

**Becky POV**

The next day passed fairly uneventfully. A few people commented on my new clothes, and Alice seemed to approve, which made me smile. I also received a very unexpected invitation.

Bella caught me after Government.

"Hey, Becky," she said conversationally, "so, I kind of told Charlie about you, and he wants to meet you in person."

I perked up a bit at the mention of Charlie. I hadn't anticipated meeting Chief Swan.

"He was wondering if you wanted to come to dinner sometime."

"Sure! I'm not busy tonight, would that work for you guys?"

She grinned. "That's perfect. I have work, but you could come round about 5-ish."

"Sounds good." I smiled.

Dinner with Charlie was actually pretty fun. He told these really corny jokes, but I laughed anyway. Bella was cringing all the way through, but I sent her plenty of reassuring looks that told her I didn't mind. He was really nice to me, asking questions, just like everyone else, and listening to the answers. I found myself rambling, as usual, about anything and everything, from my family holidays to my teachers. When Edward turned up at seven, Charlie didn't seem to mind that I took it as my cue to leave. Apparently I'd put him in a good mood for the rest of the night.

When I got home, I found Jacob sat on my porch, looking like a little lost puppy. Literally. His eyes were big and wet, his lower lip jutting out.

"Hi Jake," I called. Though we hadn't spoken since Monday, I still felt like I'd known him a long time. "What's up?"

Jake looked up and pouted some more, wrinkling his nose. "I thought your place was neutral."

"It is." I was confused now. What was he on about?

"Then why does your house stink of bloodsucker?"

Ah. Problem.

"Um... I kind of went shopping with Alice last night, and she came back here for a while afterwards. I never said they couldn't come here. Neutral means open to anybody." I reminded him.

"Alice?"

"Cullen. You know, little one, black spiky hair? You met her about two weeks ago, remember?"

Jake flinched.

"Oops," I grimaced as I sat down next to him, "sorry. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories for you."

"That's ok Becky. I guess the sooner I get over it the better."

Oh hell. These were the really hard times- the times when you desperately wanted to help someone, but couldn't. Right now, I wanted to comfort Jacob, to tell him everything was going to be okay, that there was happiness for him, waiting just around the corner. But I couldn't, not without jeopardising the story.

"Hey Becky," Jacob said tentatively, "um... have you... I mean do you... um"

"What is it Jake?" I frowned. What was wrong with him?

"Have you seen Bella yet?" he burst out, blushing instantly, his dark skin turning darker.

I smiled. "Yeah, I was just over there actually. Charlie asked me to dinner."

He perked up at this. "How is she?"

"Fine. Grounded, of course. Not allowed out of the house except for school and work. Visiting hours, curfew, blah blah blah." I waved my hand dismissively.

"What about..." he trailed off and Edward's face flashed in my head. The picture was coloured by a red haze of hatred.

"He's only allowed in the house from 7 to 9:30 at night. Afternoons aren't her favourite time of day." I smirked, trying to lighten the mood. "He keeps bringing her college application forms. At least 2 every day. It's driving her bananas."

He did smile... a little. "Sounds ok I guess. I just wish she'd visit, you know, or call."

I was mystified, and then furious. "Jacob Black, are you totally thick?"

"Huh?" He looked confused now.

"She _has _been calling. Your dad keeps bailing you out, saying your busy or out or sleeping or something. And she _can't _visit because, as I said before, she is grounded. You're still her friend Jacob. She hasn't forgotten you. In fact, you should be getting a letter from her pretty soon."

His head snapped up. "What?"

I clamped my hands over my mouth, shaking my head. God I was an idiot! Why did I say that?

I raced into the house, slamming the door behind me. His fist hammered on the wood.

"Becky? Come on, open up! You have to tell me!"

"I can't Jake. I've said too much already. Just... just go home Jacob!" I screamed, and I heard him disappear into the trees. At least he'd listened to me.

I stood, my back against the door, until the phone began to ring. I picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Becky? Hey, it's Esme."

"Oh, hi Esme," I was relieved to talk to someone outside all this madness. The drama was teenaged. Esme was a grown up. She could see things properly. "What's up?"

"We were wondering if you'd like to come over again. Carlisle wants to talk to you, you know, ask you questions, things like that. And we really didn't get to learn much about you yesterday."

I smiled. An evening at the Cullen's was just what I needed. "Sure, I'll be right over."

***

"Tell us about the Sisters!" Alice insisted, swinging her legs above her head. She was stretched out on her stomach on the floor, listening intently to the story I was telling. Rosalie and Emmet were on the love seat, while Esme and Carlisle occupied the couch and Jasper sat on the stairs.

I was sat on the stool by Edward's piano (he was still at Bella's) and had just finished telling them the story of how the Necklace was created and got its power. I smiled at her enthusiasm.

"It's a bit of a long story. There are 12 of us you know."

"_12!_" Emmet exclaimed, leaning forward, "seriously?"

I nodded. "I am the twelfth girl to wear the Necklace, the twelfth Bridge. The Sisters are the spirits of the girls who came before me."

"What are their names?" Rose asked. She seemed to get more interested as the story progressed.

I began ticking them off on my fingers.

"Hope, Joy, Emily, Sylvia, Isobel, Jenifer, Angelica, Madeline, Susan, Kristen and Lillian."

"Woah, that's a long list." Jasper commented. I nodded.

"They all have their own stories," I frowned, "and not one of them has a happy ending. Well, one does, but only because Hope was the first."

"Tell us!" Alice said again, her ochre eyes earnest and curious.

"Each of the sisters has a symbol," I began, "which they wear on a chain around their necks to remind them of how they came to be what they are.

"Hope wears a cross, a crucifix, to represent her staunch Christian nature in life, and the fact that she lived a full life and died of natural causes. She now has the power to make any of us obey her with a single command, because she was first, and she is our leader. If Hope gives you a direct order, even in the form of a request, you physically can't disobey, even if you want to."

Esme gave me a sympathetic look. I smiled at her and continued.

"Joy was second. She wears a red heart, representing love. She went to a story world, she will never say which one, and fell in love with the main character. Sometimes, if the Necklace has enough power over us, it can make us do things we don't want to do. This was one of those times. Joy couldn't help but make her play for the boy, and she changed the story. She can control the peaceful atmosphere in a room, kind of like you Jazz, but she is limited to peace, and its more aggression that she's holding back.

"Emily was the third. Her Mistake was a case of greed. She was the most beautiful girl in her class at school, but she wanted to be more beautiful still. She wished to be an angel, and her wish was granted. She wears a little silver feather, and she can make things grow or die with a single look.

"Sylvia is a very individual Sister. She grew up in America, New York to be precise, while the rest of us are British. She was 12 when the US entered the First World War, and her brother, who was 6 years older than her, signed up immediately. On her 13th birthday, she saw the Necklace on a jewellery stand in the market and she bought it with the change from her mothers weekly shop; a birthday present to herself, since her family hadn't been able to afford to give her anything. Emily was her guardian, but she wasn't very vigilant- none of them were in the early days- and when they got the news of Sylvia's brother's death, she hadn't been able to stop her from acting. Sylvia loved her brother more than anything else in the world, and all she wanted was to have him back. And so she did. She raised her brother from the dead and brought him home."

Gasps ran around the circle of listeners. "What happened?" Alice asked, shocked.

"It might have been alright if she hadn't taken him straight to her mother, for a while at least. But she didn't keep him secret, and she paid for it dearly. She has the power to punish criminals, and tell if they are guilty. Her symbol is the poppy, for remembrance, and because of its association with the war.

"Isobel was next. She always had a fascination with Shakespeare, and she went to the world were his stories exist; they have one all to themselves you see. She settled on Romeo and Juliet, but she got jealous. She went to the masked ball, and made Romeo fall in love with her, and ignore Juliet. She can still make people love her instead of the one they are meant to be with, although only temporarily. She sees bonds between people like strings. She can't cut the strings, only attach them to someone else, and she has endless fun making boys drool over her while their girlfriends look on in horror." I made a face. "She did it to me once, to my Alex, and if I hadn't gotten so furious, he might never have snapped out of it."

"What did you do?" Carlisle asked, smirking slightly. Good to see my troubles amused him.

I blushed. I wasn't proud of what I had done. "I slapped him in the face. It worked though; Isobel's spell was completely broken."

Emmet laughed, and I had to smile. His happiness was infectious.

"Sixth was Jenifer." I continued, "Her father worked at the British museum in London, and they had The Gen-shi, the worlds largest diamond, on loan from a museum in China. Jenifer saw it when he took her to work with him one day, and she wanted it badly. Of course, once she wanted it, she had it. It was in her room when she got home. She caused a major international incident, and very nearly started a war. Her symbol is a diamond, and she turns people to stone.

"Angelica's symbol is the butterfly, and she is gifted with the power of flight and super strength, which she can lend to anyone she chooses. She loved butterflies, and she hated when the boys in her class would pull their wings off and squish them. She gathered up every butterfly in the world and kept them in her bedroom.

"Next was Madeline. She got impatient waiting for her birthday, and was worried that people would forget. So she moved it earlier in the year and had everyone in the world send her a present. Her symbol is a little gift box and she can bind people up in invisible cords that get tighter the more you struggle.

"Susan's story is really gruesome. She was another one who had a crush on a character, but he already loved another girl. He picked her a daisy every day on his way to school, and she would string them together into chains and wear them at weekends. Susan was horribly jealous. She lured the girl into the field of daisies, then set the whole thing on fire and wouldn't let her out. Her symbol is a daisy, of course, and she can burn you with a look, like Jane can."

The Cullens all shuddered when I mentioned Jane, but I continued.

"Kristen was tenth, and her symbol is a little gold apple. There is one universe where the whole world is held together by three golden apples at its centre. She stole one of these apples and the world caved in. now she causes avalanches, even when the ground is flat.

"And last is Lillian. She is my guardian, and so far she's done the best job of all of them. She knows what it feels like when the person you trust to protect you doesn't make the effort, and she doesn't want me to have to feel it. Her power is mind control, similar to Hope, but the person is in a kind of trance, and they don't remember afterwards. She stole a star out of the sky and kept it in a jar for a month. Then the constellations shifted and Hope noticed. Kristen got in just as much trouble for that one." I winced, remembering Lillian's memory of Hope's reaction.

"And then there's you." Alice finished.

I nodded. "Yes, then there's me. I've done the best so far. Whether that's down to Lillian or something else I don't know. She claims she has a feeling that twelve will be our lucky number. She thinks I will fulfil the Necklace's purpose and be the last Bridge."

"But no one knows what its purpose is, do they?" Carlisle asked.

I shook my head.

"Helpful." Emmet chuckled sarcastically. I smiled. Obviously I didn't convince them, because Alice came to sit beside me.

"What's wrong Becky? You look upset." _Well, more like terrified actually _she added mentally.

I smiled weakly again. "I'm fine Alice. It's just that, well..." I didn't know how to phrase it. "It's just... every Bridge receives the Necklace on her 13th birthday, but, aside from Hope, none of them have lived much longer. When you make your Mistake, they remove you from the time stream, like you never existed and, well..." I bit my lip.

"Go on." Esme urged softly.

I took a deep breath. "Each Bridge lasts exactly three months longer than the preceding one. Lillian was 15 and a half when she..." I couldn't say it out loud, so I just carried on, "and I'm 14 and a half now. That means I have approximately 15 months left. I'm not going to make it to 16." I whispered the last part, staring at my shoes. Alice's little arms wrapped around me tightly, squeezing gently.

"Tell us more about you," Jasper urged, "what kind of things do you like to do when you're not in school?"

I smiled, grateful for the subject change. "Music mostly. Anything musical. I like to dance, and sing, and I play the violin and the piano."

"You play?" Esme asked, her eyes lighting up.

I nodded, blushing. "Not well. And _definitley_ not as well as Edward."

"We'll be the judge of that." Emmet said, smirking at me.

Rose nodded in agreement. "You're already at the piano, why don't you play for us?"

I pursed my lips.

"Edward won't mind," Carlisle assured me, "and we really want to hear."

I sighed, and Alice squeaked, clapping her hands. She had enough experience with Bella to know resignation when she saw it.

I turned to face the keys and snapped my fingers. There was a dull 'pop' and my Disney piano book appeared on the stand, open to 'Colours of the Wind' from Pocahontas. I heard the others jump slightly, and realized none of them would have seen my habit of producing objects from thin air.

"Sorry." I said, smiling sheepishly.

Esme composed herself quickest. "No problem. Go ahead." She gestured to the piano.

I took a deep breath and began to play.

I played through the opening bars carefully, concentrating soley on the notes on the page and the movement of my hands. When the melody came in, I couldn't help myself; I began to sing.

"You think I'm an ignorant savage

And you've been so many places,

I guess it must be so

But still I cannot see

If the savage one is me

How can there be so much that you don't know?

You don't know"

The notes played smoothly, my hands finding the familiar patterns over the key change from B minor to D major.

"You think you own whatever land you land on

The earth is just a dead thing you can claim.

But I know ev'ry rock and tree and creature

Has a life, has a spirit, has a name."

The right hand went up an octave, but my voice kept the same pitch, harmonizing.

"You think the only people who are people

Are the people who look and think like you.

But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger

You'll learn things you never knew you never knew."

Back down for the chorus...

"Have you ever heard the wolf cry

To the blue corn moon,

Or asked the grinning bob cat why he grinned?

Can you sing with all the voices of the mountain?

Can you paint with all the colours of the wind?"

I got totally lost in the music. I forgot the time, the place, the audience; I could have been playing to an empty house on my family upright, or Eileen's shining black grand piano in the ballroom at Parks House. My voice followed the familiar pattern of the song, up and down, weaving in and out. When I finished, my fingers slid down off the keys the way they always did, and my hands flopped into my lap. There was one beat of dead silence before the clapping started. I blushed, turning even redder when Emmet hooted.

"That was beautiful Becky!" Alice gushed, "You're a wonderful singer, and just as good a musician as Edward, if you ask me."

The others nodded in agreement and I smiled tentatively.

"Play something else." Carlisle insisted.

I pursed my lips for a second, then smiled again as a new idea occurred to me. I snapped my fingers again, and with another 'pop' a new book sat on the stand. It was already open; the title at the top of the page was 'Who Are They?' I settled my fingers back on the keys, and began to play again.

This piece was different. It was repetitive, a single melody that suggested tension and mystery. As I came to the end of the page, Rosalie flipped it over. I gave her a quick 'thank you' smile, then went back to the piece. When it came to an end, there was another short round of applause. My smile was wide this time.

"What is that from?" Jasper asked, looking curiously at the page and playing the melody through in his head. I just smiled and flipped the book shut. They all gasped at the picture on the front. My wide smile turned into a full blown grin.

"Twilight: The Score," I announced grandly, "I found this in a little music shop in Germany; all the pieces that Carter Burwell wrote for the movie, for solo piano. The one I just played comes in the scene in the cafeteria when Bella sees you for the first time. Pretty good huh?"

They were absolutely frozen for one half second. Then huge smiles broke across their faces, all at the same time, making me giggle.

"Which one's which?" Emmet asked, leaning in to get a better look at the figures on the dark cover.

I pointed to each couple in turn. "Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, Bella and Edward... Kellen Lutz and Nicki Reed, Emmet and Rosalie... Ashley Greene and Jackson Rathbone, Alice and Jasper... Peter Facinelli and Elizabeth Reaser, Carlisle and Esme."

"And them?" Carlisle pointed to the trio to the right of the picture.

I scowled. "Eddie Gathegi, Cam Gigandet and Rachelle Lefevre. Laurent, James and Victoria."

The Cullens hissed in unison.

"Are we ever going to get rid of them?" Emmet asked, sounding like a whiny toddler.

I shrugged. "Maybe, if you get lucky."

I glanced at my watch then and gasped. "Oh god, I didn't realise how late it was! I've got to get going." I grabbed the books off the stand and stood up. Esme wrapped her arms around me.

"Come back _very _soon," she said into my ear, her cold breath tickling. I put my arms around her and squeezed.

"Of course I will Esme," I promised. Then I hugged each of the Cullens in turn, stunning Rosalie and Jasper slightly, and made my way home.

Little did I know what waited for me in the dark house.


	7. Chapter 6: The Invitation

When I opened the door, I was surprised to find a folded piece of yellowing paper on my door mat. The outside was addressed 'To Becky'. The writing was neat and elegant, a slightly gothic twist to the letters.

I dumped the piano books on the hall table and picked up the note, crossing into the living room and flopping down on the couch before I unfolded it.

My heartbeat picked up as I read the note.

**It has come to my attention that you have been spending time with a young lady by the name of Alice Cullen. Judging by what my guard heard of your conversation, and the manner in which Miss Cullen left your home on Wednesday night, I am sure you will be aware of what she and the rest of her family really are. You will also be aware, no doubt, of who **_**I **_**am and why I am writing to you.**

**I would very much like to meet you personally. Call the number at the bottom and my secretary will make you an appointment.**

**You would be wise not to delay, my dear Becky.**

**We do not offer second chances.**

**Yours,**

**Aro of the Volturi**

I was utterly frozen for one half second. Then the panic washed over me.

What was I going to do? If I didn't go to Volterra, Aro would send the guard here, and that could not be allowed to happen.

But he had said his guard saw me and Alice, and heard us talking. What were they even doing here?

I decided it wasn't worth worrying about until I absolutely had to. I hadn't had a visit from Lillian since I arrived, so everything must still be on track. My focus now should be getting to Italy and back again before Monday without alerting a certain bronze-haired vampire or his easily panicked girlfriend. If Edward wouldn't let Bella go 15 miles down to La Push, he certainly wasn't going to let me go half way across the globe to visit vampire royalty. Not that I was as fragile as Bella was, but he would still kick up a fuss.

I sighed. It would be impossible to keep this from them. All I could hope for was convincing them not to follow me when I went. And I would go; I had to, to protect them.

The number at the bottom of the note was fairly ordinary, but my fingers shook as I dialled.

"Hello, Volterra Enterprises, how may I help you?" a pleasant female voice answered.

"Hi, this is Rebecca Wainwright, I've been asked to make an appointment with Mr Aro?" I made my sentence a question; as if I wasn't quite sure I had the right name. Which was true; I didn't know if he used an alias as part of the business façade.

"Of course! We've been waiting for your call." The voice was light and bubbly, the Italian accent prominent but not overwhelming. "We have an opening at 5:00 pm on Saturday, will that be ok?"

I mentally flipped through all the relevant flight schedules, looking for something that could get me to Italy in time and back to America as soon after the meeting as possible. There were plenty to choose from, but, of course, with the nine hour time difference between Italy and western America, I would have to leave tomorrow afternoon to make it with a reasonable allowance for sleep. Still, it was possible. I thought through all this so quickly, the receptionist probably didn't even notice my hesitation.

"Yes, that will be fine." I said, making sure to sound light and positive.

"Wonderful," the voice replied, and I could hear the smile in it, "we look forward to your visit."

"Thank you," I replied pleasantly before I hung up and hurried upstairs to pack.

***

I knew Edward and Alice could feel my edginess the next day, but I took no notice of their sideways glances and suspicious looks, focussing on acting normal for Bella.

When I got home, I sat down at my desk and pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen. Undoubtedly, someone would call at some point this evening, and if I didn't answer they might decide to come over. I had to leave some explanation of my sudden disappearance, and the truth seemed like the best plan; I would never be able to come up with a feasible excuse, and, knowing Alice, she would probably search the house just to satisfy her own curiosity.

**Alice, **I wrote, reasoning that she would probably be the one to come.

**I apologise for disappearing so suddenly, but I have a rather pressing problem that requires my immediate attention. All you need to know is:**

**I will be out of the country for approximately three days, and I should return sometime on Sunday night. **

**When I say the problem requires my immediate attention, I do mean **_**mine **_**and **_**no one else's**_**. That means you don't follow me, and you stop anyone else who tries; I don't care if you have to tie Edward to a tree, NO ONE is to follow me.**

**You have to keep this from Bella at all costs. I am positive she will panic and that is never a good thing. If you can't keep it from her, at least keep her calm (Jasper may come in handy for that one).**

**If you **_**really **_**want to know more, there is a note, addressed to me, in the top drawer of my desk that should explain everything. **

**If in doubt, text me. My mobile number is on a post-it by the phone.**

**I think that's everything you need. One again, I'm sorry I can't give you a better explanation, and please, **_**please,**__**PLEASE **_**don't follow me. I'm doing this for your own good. If I don't go, the problem will come here, and that is a very bad thing if I want to keep things on track for Eclipse.**

**See you at school Monday.**

**Becky**

I folded the paper in half, wrote 'Alice' on the outside and propped it up against the phone on the hall table. I wrote my number on one of the pink heart shaped post-its I kept there for writing notes and stuck it to the receiver. Then I took my suitcase and travel bag from where they sat waiting at the foot of the stairs, and flew around to the garage, locking the door behind me.

I pulled out before stopping the car and stowing my bags, then locking the garage door and doing a last sweep of the house.

When I was satisfied that everything was in place, I climbed back into the car and sped along my driveway, turning onto the road at the end and heading for the airport in Seattle.

***

I was waiting for my connection in New York when my phone buzzed. Ah ha! Someone must have noticed I was gone. I pulled it out and... Yep, 'Incoming call, Alice Cullen' lit up the screen. I hit the answer button and put it to my ear.

"Hi Alice."

"BECKY ARE YOU TOTALLY CRAZY?!"

I winced and held the phone away as Alice's shrill voice screeched at me. Even with the speaker an inch and a half away from my ear, I could still pick out each word with perfect clarity.

"YOU ARE COMPLETELY OUT OF YOUR MIND IF YOU THINK YOU CAN GO INTO THE VOLTURI STRONGHOLD AND COME OUT ALIVE YOU HAVE A SERIOUS PROBLEM AND NO EDWARD_ I WILL NOT CALM DOWN!"_

"Please Alice; you're giving me a head ache!" I pleaded as quietly as I could, not wanting to draw attention to myself in the crowded departure lounge. It seemed to work, because Alice took a deep breath and continued in a slightly more measured tone.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't send Emmet and Jasper after you right this second."

"How about two?" I asked, and then continued before she could respond. "One, I do not need their help, because I am not some helpless human, and you know better than anyone what I am capable of. And two, if they end up in Volterra, Aro is going to know about it, and anything that reminds him about you guys is a very bad thing indeed."

There was silence for a few seconds as Alice took all this in.

"Why is it bad?" she said, her voice quiet and serious.

"What?"

"You heard me Becky. Why is it a bad thing if Aro is reminded about our family?"

I chewed on my lip, trying to come up with a way to explain it without giving anything away. When I was fairly sure I had it right, I spoke slowly and deliberately, trying to convey what I couldn't say.

"If he is reminded of you, he is undoubtedly going to be reminded of Bella, and a certain agreement you made with him a few weeks ago. If that happens, he might decide to check on you earlier than he first planned. That's another reason why I'm doing this of course; if I don't go to him, he will come to Forks, or send someone, and he already knows I'm involved with you. Look, Alice, I really wish I could explain all of this; but I can't, not without revealing the future, and there are some things even you can't be allowed to know about."

Another silence. Then the sound of the phone being passed from one hand to another.

"Becky, Alice is translating the Declaration of Independence into German in her head. What is she trying to hide?"

I smirked. Typical Alice. Typical Edward too, always wanting to know everything.

"I would guess that she is avoiding telling you what happened Wednesday night after we went shopping, but she shouldn't be, because I want you to know that I can take care of myself."

"Who are you trying to protect Becky?" Edward asked, and his question threw me for a second.

"What?"

"You heard me. You're obviously trying to protect someone, but who is it?"

I had to think about that for a minute.

I was shocked by a voice in my head, loud and clear like the person was standing right next to me.

_You can't keep this from him Becky, _Lillian's voice said, echoing around my head, _you're going to have to let a little bit slip. Not too much, mind. Time scales, deadlines, important dates, but no specifics. Just do what you did with Jacob and you'll be fine._

_Are you sure? _I asked her hesitantly. I had to be positive that this was right.

_I'll stop you if you go wrong. Have faith Becky; let the powers of the multiverse guide you._

"Becky?" Edward asked. His voice was low and nervous.

I took a deep breath. "Listen to me Edward, and listen carefully. What I am about to tell you must stay between us, got it? No one can know besides you, me and Alice."

There was a short pause. Then Edward spoke, his voice sombre now, serious.

"We're listening."

I took another breath to steady myself.

"Ok. I can only give you the timing; I can't tell you anything in detail. It's early April now. Eclipse is set to start in about a week, and then it's pretty much solid story from there to next January. None of the Volturi is supposed to be anywhere near Forks until June, and, if all goes as it should, they won't even think of visiting you specifically until August. If this goes wrong there will be major mix ups in the space-time continuum and I know that sounds cheesy but it's the truth. If I don't go to Volterra, they come to me. That is a very bad thing, because it throws everything off schedule. And of course, I would get the blame because it would be my fault. You asked who I'm trying to protect. I'm trying to protect myself. I'm trying to protect you, and Bella, and the people of Forks. I'm trying to protect the entire multiverse, and that isn't something that's easy to do. I'm risking so much just by telling you this; I can't even explain it right. To put it as simply as possible, I would risk more by not going than I am by going. I'm sorry I can't be more helpful, but there's no help for it."

The tannoy pinged, announcing my flight.

"Look, I have to go, my connection is boarding. I'll see you in school on Monday, ok?"

"Sure." Alice answered, having apparently reclaimed the phone. Her voice shook slightly. Obviously the new information had had an adverse effect on her nerves.

"Text me if you need me." I said, and then hung up as I approached the gate.

***

It was dark when the plane finally landed at the airport in Florence.

My car was waiting for me, not just an identical copy, but the exact same pink Mini I had left in Seattle. I wasn't usually a selfish person, I liked to do things for others rather than myself, but sometimes even I couldn't resist doing something just for the fun of it.

I climbed into the driver's seat, popping the roof open before starting the engine and going on my way.

I had found a little village, about an hours drive from Volterra, with a small hotel, and had made reservations there over the phone while I waited for my first flight. It took me two hours to get there, for I wasn't in a hurry and took every opportunity to admire the beautiful landscape around me. In my own world, Italy was the farthest I had been from home, on a family holiday to Tuscany when I was 13. We went in May, during a heat wave, and the sun shone everyday. It was beautiful, but good _lord_, it was hot. We had spent most of the time in the pool.

As I topped the last hill before my destination, I caught sight of the city, perched atop the next hill along. It was like every other town and city I had passed. There was nothing in its appearance to suggest it was any different from the others, and, to most people, it wasn't.

Tomorrow I would enter that city. The very real possibility that I wouldn't come back out should have terrified me. But all I felt was gratitude.

I was grateful that I was able to do this for my friends.

I was grateful that Alice and Edward had listened to me and stayed in Forks.

I was grateful for the time that I had had here.

And, most of all, I was grateful that even a serious injury would send me home, to my parents, and my friends, and my Alex.

I was still thinking about Alex as I lay in an unfamiliar bed half an hour later. As I drifted to sleep, I dreamt that I was home. I dreamt of half term in Cornwall, of walking along a beach at sunset, hand in hand with the most perfect boy on the planet. I dreamt of playing the piano for Eileen in the ballroom at Parks House. I dreamt of singing as Alex played his guitar, and of him singing to me. I imagined what he would say if he was here with me, what he would think of the Cullens, and what he would think of what I was doing now.

I could almost hear his voice, like he was lying next to me.

_I can't say I'm happy about this, Becks; but I trust you. I know you can take care of yourself, and I know you'll come back to me, because you always do. God knows why; I've never done anything good enough to deserve you. I have faith in you. I know you can do this. You've gotten yourself out of tighter spots than this before, and I know you'll do it again. Oh, and by the way..._

_I love you._

I smiled in my sleep, content in my dreams of my home and my Alex.

My heart.

My soul.

My one true love.


	8. Chapter 7: The Meeting

**Something a little different this time, along with the first proper description of Becky. I hope you can get the way she looks straight in your head. Then again, if you think she looks different, that's your choice, and I won't stop you. Everyone has their own imagination, and their own idea of what characters in books look like.**

**Thank you for your continued support of my work, I promise I will finish off Dear Bella soon; I just have to get my head around what I'm writing.**

**Luv u all**

**Glitterb1234**

* * *

**Aro POV**

"Here she is master!" Jane called as she entered the room. I smiled at her, and the guard members around me began to snicker as the girl came into view. I too watched her, curious.

She was fairly tall, maybe 5' 9", with light brown hair that fell straight to her shoulders and eyes the colour of rain clouds -light grey, with a little sparkle in them- behind rectangular glasses with thin lilac frames. Her skin was peachy, fair with a little tan, her features rounded and irregular, with full, naturally pink lips. She wore blue jeans and a tight pale pink t shirt that showed her curves; she had an hourglass figure, though she wasn't skinny, with wide hips and a full bust.

Her stance was confident, without a trace of fear, her expression curious as she studied the room around her.

She stopped in the middle of the floor and bobbed a curtsy, bowing her head respectfully.

"Bonjourno Aro," she said her voice steady and her accent perfect.

"Bonjourno," I replied, a hint of a smile on my lips. "We are on unequal footing my dear. You know me, but I know nothing about you."

She smiled too. "Ask away sir. I will answer any questions you have."

I got up from my seat and walked slowly towards her. She made no movement, only watching me with polite interest, her hands folded in front of her. I began with the most conventional question.

"What is your name child?"

"Rebecca Kathleen Wainwright, sir."

I continued to walk slowly, circling around her while she looked straight ahead.

"And how old are you?"

"That depends sir."

I was intrigued. "On?"

"Whether you mean my true age or the age I appear to be, sir."

What an amusing young girl! Such a novel way of speaking. She smirked, as if she had heard my thought.

"Very well. What say you to giving us both?"

"Of course sir. In physical age I am at this moment 18 years old, but my true age is only 14."

What? How could that be possible? Did she grow quickly? Or something else, something even I couldn't imagine.

It was Caius who voiced my confusion.

"How is this possible?" he thundered, leaping up.

The guard shrank back in terror.

Rebecca didn't even flinch.

She smiled at him sweetly, though her eyes were hard and cold like steel. Her tone remained polite as she spoke.

"My necklace sir."

She pointed to a silver chain at her throat. The neckline of her t shirt was just low enough to show the little bow that hung from it, sparkling as it was caught in a chance ray of sun slanting in through one of the thin windows. I was instantly captivated by it.

She looked up at me. "I'm afraid you can't have it Aro," she said, a touch of the steel in her eyes leaking into her voice, "it's my only way home. Besides, it wouldn't work for you anyway."

I started. "You can hear my thoughts?"

"Yes sir, but only if I am listening or if you want me to hear."

"And your necklace lets you do this too?" I asked.

"Yes sir. It can do anything." she smiled, before adding, "for _me._"

"Do you know what surrounds you Rebecca?" Marcus asked, speaking for the first time.

"Yes sir." Rebecca smiled at him warmly. It was interesting, but also slightly confusing, to watch her, the different responses she gave each of us, her manner differing from person to person, though always polite.

"And what is that?" he said, continuing his question.

"Vampires sir," she replied calmly.

"And are you frightened my dear?" I asked.

Her chin jutted out, as if she were insulted by the question. "No sir. I have confidence in my ability to protect myself."

The guard snickered again and Caius laughed out loud. I smirked.

Rebecca's hands clenched into fists and her expression turned murderous.

"It is not in your best interest to underestimate me _Caius,_" she almost growled, spitting his name between her teeth, "that is a mistake you would regret _very _quickly."

The laughter got louder...and then died away as Rebecca's eyes closed and a soft glow emanated from her. Her eyes snapped open and they were no longer the colour of rain clouds, or like solid steel.

They were golden.

A shocked hiss ran through the room, only to be silenced by a feral snarl that ripped from between Rebecca's lips like the roar of a lion.

There was a beat of dead silence before anyone could compose themselves enough to speak.

I still stood near to Rebecca, just a few metres away, and so I took it upon myself to speak first.

"Ah yes," I said, smiling despite my feeling of unease, "my spies told me about this. An interesting little trick; changing yourself into one of us and then back again. I wonder..."

She turned on me, her manner hostile rather than polite, her eyes blazing and fury so prominent in her perfected features that it seemed like she would never smile again. I took an involuntary step back, stunned for a second by the force of her anger.

"Oh, spare us the theatrics Aro," she growled, "you can have your precious tests, but be clear in your intent. I have no patience today, and I wish to be on my way."

"Very well," I said, still a little muddled, "Felix!"

I snapped my fingers and Felix's huge form separated itself from the light grey crowd at the edge of the room. He stalked forward, a cruel little smile on his lips.

Rebecca turned to face him, also smiling; but her smile was not cruel, it was assured. She was, as she had said, confident in her own abilities. I had never seen anyone look so sure of themselves when faced by Felix. Most people, vampire or otherwise, were terrified of him.

She sank into a low crouch, her weight forward on her right leg, and waved him forward.

Felix charged, hands out, ready to grab her around the waist as he passed. But she moved too quickly for him. At the last second, she reached out and grabbed his wrists, then lifted him off the ground, shifting from one foot to the other and swinging him over her head. Releasing his wrists at just the right moment, she sent him soaring across the room to crash into the wall over Marcus' head.

Rebecca grinned as Felix got up and brushed the dust off of his clothes, his face a mixture of surprise and fury. He charged her again, but she caught him once more, throwing him up to the ceiling. As he came back down, she took a fighting stance, feet apart, hands ready. As he came level with her, her fist snapped out, catching his jaw and sending him flying again.

The rest of the fighters leapt into action, spreading out until they completely surrounded her, before closing in. For one half-second, she was entirely obscured by grey shapes. Then there was a flash of bright light and they were all on their backs, Rebecca standing tall and proud in the centre of the circle, hands on hips, that infuriating smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth as she studied the toppled figures around her.

Once again, the room was filled with a shocked silence. Then Caius began to clap. Slowly, sarcastically, his trademark sneer firmly in place.

"Excellent Rebecca!" he said, almost crooning, "You will make a fine addition to our fighting force."

She turned on him, furious once again. She snarled, and then began to yell, the words exploding out of her so loud that they rang around the room, making several people clamp their hands over their ears.

"If you are honestly deluded enough to think that I would join your stupid, sycophantic killing squad, you've got another thing coming. You are exactly the opposite of what I stand for, and don't think you can threaten me, because I am ten times as powerful as you and I don't have to hide behind muscle the way you do."

The guard growled in sync, but Rebecca paid no attention to them. She turned on her heel and darted out of the door, pushing the two vampires that tried to stop her back onto the floor.

"Get her!" Caius screeched, and the sound of Rebecca's footsteps picked up pace, fading away faster as half the guard charged out of the door behind her.

I had a feeling this was one chase we were going to lose.

**Well, what do you think? A slightly shorter chapter than usual, though it doesn't feel like it cos it took so long to write! (Damn writers block :-( ) Anyway, it's done now, and I can get back to Becky (yey!). **

**Luv u**

**R+R**

**Glitterb1234**


	9. Chapter 8: Homecoming

I charged down the long corridor, moving faster than lightning, getting around the corner in half a second.

Giana squeaked, startled by my sudden reappearance. I snatched my bag and cardigan from where I had left them behind the desk.

"Grazi Giana!" I yelled as I set off at a sprint, heading for the lifts. I could hear the growling and snarling already; they couldn't be far behind.

Thankfully, the lift already stood open. I darted in and hit the button for the ground floor... just as the first of the guard rounded the bend, led by a livid Jane. I smiled at her. "Arrivederci!" I called brightly, waving as the doors closed. I heard the enraged shrieks, and laughed, relief doing strange things to my body.

By the time the lift doors pinged open, I was human again, and I had replaced my black slip-ons with trainers. I ran, though speed wasn't as critical now. It was still very light; only 5:15, not yet sunset. I had about half an hour before it was dark enough for them to follow me without being spotted. That was plenty of time. I was halfway to Florence by the time the sun finally disappeared below the horizon, and made it just in time for my flight at 6:30.

When I switched my phone on, I found a text message from Alice.

**Becky**

**If you don't call before noon Bella is going to have a panic attack. Don't make Edward suffer that.**

**Call.**

**Alice**

I sighed. Of course Bella would have found out. I could only hope Alice was exaggerating about the panic attack thing.

After quickly checking the Seattle time on my phone's world clock - it was 9:45 in the morning - I set about composing a new message.

**Hey Edward,**

**Just got out of Volterra. Not too bad but Jane will probably hate me forever (tee hee). Tell Alice that I'm ok, will call Bella now. C u on Monday.**

**Becky**

**p.s. I beat Felix. It wasn't even really a fight, just me throwing him around like a rag doll ;-)**

I sent that, then dialled Bella's number. I listened to the dial tone, praying that Charlie was out fishing already. Luck was with me; Bella picked up on the third ring, sounding a little breathless. Knowing her she probably ran to the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi Bells, it's Becky."

"Becky!" her voice sounded relieved. "Where are you? I've been worried sick! When Edward told me where you were going..." she took a deep breath. "Just tell me you're ok."

I sighed. "I'm fine Bella. I'm on a plane, I'll be home tonight, and I'll be in school Monday. Ok?"

There was a moment of silence before Bella answered. "Are you really alright Becky? You sound kind of... crabby."

I realized then that I wasn't exactly being polite. I sounded exasperated and irritated, when really I was just exhausted. "I'm so sorry Bella; I didn't mean to snap at you like that. I'm just _really_ tired. There's a nine hour time difference between Italy and the West Coast, and I haven't really gotten over the jet lag yet."

"Don't worry about it Becks," Bella sounded much happier now, satisfied that I wasn't angry at her. "I slept fourteen hours after I got back."

I rolled my eyes. "I know. I've read New Moon about ten times."

Bella laughed, and I could picture her blush. "Right, I forgot about that."

"Bells?" a faint voice echoed down the receiver.

"Oh! Sorry Becky, I gotta go, Charlie's up."

"No problem Bells. See you Monday."

"Bye." Bella hung up, and I put my phone away.

I was absolutely exhausted by the time I staggered through the door. I knew I wasn't going to make it to my bedroom, so I opted for the sofa in the living room instead. I remembered crossing the hall, and flopping down, but I was out before my head hit the cushions.

The next thing I knew, the phone was ringing in the hall. I moaned and tried to block out the noise, but it just seemed to get louder. Grumbling incoherently, I heaved myself up off the sofa and went to the phone.

"Whoever this is better have a good reason for calling." I croaked.

"Becky? Is that you?" a shrill voice asked.

I moaned again. "Alice, what do you want?"

"We wanted to invite you over," she said, sounding hurt. Great. "We thought you might want to talk about your trip. Don't tell me you were still asleep. It's 10:30 for crying out loud!"

"It is?" I rubbed my eyes and squinted at the clock. "Wow."

She sighed. "Becky, you're hopeless."

"No, I'm tired," I grumbled, "I don't even know what time it was when I got home last night, but I am pretty sure I haven't had enough sleep. I mean, I've jumped nine hours forward, and back again, all in the space of about two days, if that. I haven't had a full nights sleep since Friday. I'm begging you Alice; give me just a little more time in bed pleeeeeeeeeeeease."

She was quiet for a minute. I crossed my fingers and squeezed my eyes shut. Finally, Alice sighed.

"Fine. But you have to promise you'll come over tonight."

"I promise. Thank you Alice." I yawned widely.

"Bye Becky." Her voice had a smile in it, so I was sure I was forgiven.

When I woke up again, rain was streaming down the big glass windows of my living room. The sun shone, though it was obscured by thick clouds, and a quick glance at the clock told me it was almost midday. I stretched, stiff from sleeping on the sofa, and went to make myself some lunch.

As I crossed the hallway, something seemed different. I stood and considered for a moment, before I realised that the piano books I had left on the hall table on Thursday night were gone. Or rather, one was. The bright blue cover of the Disney book had caught my eye, because my Twilight book had been on top before.

"Now where can that have got to?" I said to myself, injecting a heavy dose of sarcasm. I knew exactly where my book was.

I made myself a sandwich for lunch and ate at the speed of light, chasing it down with a glass of orange juice, then set off in vampire mode, going full speed.

I stopped just before I reached the Cullen's, listening.

Just as I'd expected, the sound of a piano floated out through an open window. The melody was so familiar, I actually started tapping it out on the tree trunk I was clinging to, as if I were the one playing.

Carter Burwell's 'Bella's Lullaby'.

I slipped quietly through the back door, making no sound at all. Rounding the corner into the living room, I saw Edward straight away. He had his back to me, totally absorbed in the music. He stopped very suddenly, apparently sensing my presence, and turned around to give me a sheepish grin.

"Hi," he said, his voice apologetic.

"Good afternoon," I smiled and skipped over to sit beside him. "What do you think?" I asked, gesturing to the book open on the music stand.

He contemplated for a second. "It's good, I guess. Not perfect, and not so good for piano, but still, good."

I laughed. "My teacher said the exact same thing when she saw it the first time. I haven't even attempted this one yet."

He chuckled. "Want to here the original?"

My eyes went wide. "Please!"

Edward turned back to the keys and began to play again.

There are no words to describe what the real Bella's Lullaby was like. It was absolutely beautiful, and Edward's playing was perfect. It was as different from the film version as possible; nothing was the same. When he had finished, I sat there for a minute in stunned silence, trying to remember how to speak.

In the end, all I managed was a breathless, "Wow."

His smile was huge as he took the book off the piano and handed it to me. "Here. Sorry I borrowed it without permission. When Alice told me what it was, I just couldn't resist."

"Don't worry about it Edward. Curiosity is only natural." I smiled at him.

Quite suddenly, he was staring at me intently, like he was trying to see something in particular. Then his eyes grew very wide, and his jaw dropped. He touched his fingertips to my cheek, just below my right eye. I leaned away.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Becky... why are your eyes gold?"

I relaxed a little. "I told Alice to tell you about this. Don't tell me she's still keeping secrets."

He looked even more shocked than before. "She wasn't kidding. It is perfect."

I giggled, and the tinkling sound of my laugh made him even more startled. I jumped up and darted across the room, heading out the back door. He followed me, barrelling into my back when I stopped abruptly in the middle of the lawn.

I laughed again, then lifted my hands in the air and turned a cartwheel over his head, planting both feet and going straight into a series of backward flips across the grass. When I reached the trees, I stopped turning, grabbing hold of the lowest branch of a big fir and pulling myself up into the leaves. In half a second I was at the top of the tree, looking down on an astounded Edward, still sprawled on his back. I jumped to the next tree along, a sturdy looking oak, and climbed back down, snapping off a branch thicker than my arm on the way. When I hit the ground, I threw the branch like a javelin, launching it across the river.

"Ta da!" I trilled, dropping a little curtsy. Edward laughed and clapped while I bowed and pretended to blow kisses to my 'audience'.

"Is that what you meant about beating Felix?" Edward asked when he had control of himself again.

I nodded. "You should have seen his face. It was priceless." I laughed again, the sound bouncing off the trees.

He grinned at me. "Race you to Bella's?" he challenged.

I smiled back. "Ready, set..."

"GO!" we both yelled, setting off at top speed towards Bella's house, laughing all the way.


	10. Chapter 9: Memories

I beat Edward to Bella's house, whirling into her back yard half a second before he did. Although, to be fair, that was only because he slowed down to check if Charlie was in.

"I win, I win!" I crowed, dancing around in a circle.

Edward darted out of the trees.

"You cheated!" he growled, springing at me. I danced out of his way, twirling out of his reach every time he tried to grab me. I couldn't stop laughing, watching his face stretch into a huge smile.

A light laugh from above our heads made us both stop. Bella was leaning on her window sill, watching us with amused interest.

The breeze suddenly changed direction, blowing her hair around her face, and her scent in our direction. Edward gave me a worried glance, wondering how I would react to a human scent, especially one as strong as Bella's.

I gagged.

The smell was _disgusting! _I had never smelled anything worse. I was briefly reminded of Bella describing the way blood smelled to her - like rust and salt - before my stomach twisted and felt like I was going to throw up. I bent over, clutching my stomach, and tried to rally enough concentration to change back to my human form.

I heard, through the roaring in my ears, Edward's voice, asking me what was wrong, and then the faint sound of a window closing. The smell disappeared with the sound, and I collapsed onto the grass, finally managing to complete my change. Within half a second of being human again, my forehead was clammy and I was exhausted... but the nausea was fading.

"Becky?" Edward asked again, anxious. "Are you alright?"

"fine." I croaked. I coughed, trying to clear my throat. One cool hand smoothed across my forehead, while another lifted me into a sitting position. I realised my eyes were closed, and when I cracked them open Bella was just coming out of the back door, a worried look on her face. I shook my head, trying to clear the dizziness. A few deep breaths helped, but my head was pounding like the pistons on a steam engine. I moaned and clutched my head.

"Should I call Carlisle?" Bella asked anxiously, coming to kneel on the grass beside me. "You don't look so good."

I shook my head again. "I'll be ok in a minute. Your scent just took me off guard a little."

Edward nodded, as if he had expected that would be the route of the trouble. "The thirst can be uncomfortable. I've never seen anyone react like that before though..."

He trailed off; listening to the replay I was running in my head.

"I wasn't thirsty," I said in a quiet voice, "I never have been. Right from the start... it just wasn't there."

"What then?" Bella wondered. She was bizarrely nonchalant, considering we were discussing why I hadn't wanted to kill her the second I smelled her.

"The smell... I can't even describe it." my nose wrinkled at the memory. "I just felt so sick I couldn't even stand up. I think it's probably The Necklace's idea of protecting me. It knows I don't want to hurt people in that form, so it made them physically disgusting to me."

"Are you sure?" Edward asked, frowning. "It seems a little bit odd. Isn't it supposed to protect you?"  
I shrugged. "I don't know. Don't ask me how this thing works; I haven't got a clue."

I played absently with the little silver bow as I spoke twisting it in my fingers. My head was starting to clear and my forehead had quickly dried off in the chill Forks air. I managed to pull myself up onto my feet, but made use of Edward and Bella's helping hands to get inside.

For the rest of the afternoon, as I sat in Bella's living room listening to her talking with Edward and getting over my queasiness, I pondered just how much I didn't know about the Silver Necklace. I had no idea of the extent of its power, or its limitations beyond the rules instilled by those above me. Thinking of them made me shiver.

My life was controlled by forces far beyond the comprehension of most people. The Volturi didn't compare.

There was Hope, of course, but even she answered to someone. Someone who had the power to terrify us all with just the sound of his name.

Darcy.

Darcy Pembrook, born in 1818, was a well respected, though widely disliked, English gentleman. In life he owned a jewellery shop. Though he was cordial to his customers, outside of his professional life he was, to put it mildly, an ass. He was rude, coarse, unsociable, degrading, insulting and utterly friendless. When a mystery supplier sold him an interesting piece one day, he couldn't find it in him to part with it. The Silver Necklace never even touched Darcy's shelves. He kept it in his pocket, carrying it everywhere with him. When he found out what it could do, he abused the power. At some point, something in it leaked into him, making him even worse than before.

He died the way he lived; bitter and alone.

The Necklace, along with all his other possessions, was passed to his brother. As Darcy's only living relative, he had inherited everything when a will could not be located. Mr Pembrook gave the Necklace to his daughter as a birthday present.

And so it began. Hope made it through life without problems. It was when she passed that the trouble began. Darcy had been existing in the strange nether region between worlds known as Unreality. When Hope joined him, her strength combined with his, and gave him the power he needed to control her. With every new addition, he grew stronger and stronger, and the Sisters grew powerless to defy him. He had haunted my nightmares from the moment I knew of his existence. Though I had yet to meet him, I knew it couldn't be too much longer before he made an appearance.

And yet even he wasn't at the top of the ladder. The Necklace came to him in mysterious circumstances. At least, they were mysterious at the time. Now we knew everything.

The ultimate power belonged to two beings. The first was Fate. We called him 'My Lord Fate' or just 'My Lord'. He carried out the decisions, did the physical things that made events happen. He was a very busy man, understandably, and I had never met him either. But, unlike Darcy, I could very easily go through my life and not even catch a glimpse of Fate, or his sister.

The Lady Destiny; the true controller; the top of the heap; the one calling all the shots... the decision maker. If Destiny wanted something done, you did it, no questions asked. This last, I had had the pleasure of seeing personally. I had to ask her permission to tell Alex about my life, and, luckily, she had accepted my request.

According to Lillian, I was the only one out of all of them to have even met Destiny, much less plucked up the courage to ask for an audience with her.

My mind continued to wander, remembering that magic moment when Alex and I first got together...

_Slowly, very slowly, my consciousness began to return to me. I became gradually aware of my surroundings. Small sounds, muffled and unintelligible, registered in my mind, but I couldn't make sense of them. I couldn't see; my eyes were closed, and when I tried to open them... nothing. I couldn't move, not even to twitch a finger._

_My hearing got clearer and clearer. The noises began to make sense. _

_A slow, rhythmic beeping._

_Rattling window blinds._

_Breathing, low and uneven, hitching in odd places._

_Sobbing._

_Someone was sobbing? What could there be to cry about?_

_More senses returning. There was a nasty taste in my mouth, the kind of thing I got sometimes first thing in the morning if I ate too soon before going to bed. I could feel the rough sheets that were wrapped around me. I could feel that I was half sat up on a lumpy bed, leaning on big pillows. I could feel the wires and tubes sticking into my arms. And I could feel hands curled around mine, and something wet dropping onto my skin._

_Tears._

_I felt a sudden urge to comfort this stranger; this mysterious person crying over my hands. I struggled with my lids, trying to open them. It felt like someone had glued them shut, or weighed my lashes down._

"_Becky."_

_It was quiet, a broken whisper, but I instantly recognised the voice. The shock broke through the walls in my head, and my eyes flew open._

_A head, invisible but for a mop of unruly curly black hair, was bent over my folded hands. His shoulders heaved with the sobs that wracked his body._

"_Please Becky," he whispered, "please wake up. I need you to wake up. Please. _Please_."_

_I had to answer. I would do anything to take them pain out of his voice, anything. My throat was sore, my mouth dry, but I persevered. After half a minute of struggling, I managed to croak out a response._

"_Alex?"_

_His head snapped up, his hazel eyes locking with mine. We stared at each other for a moment. Then he threw his arms around me, holding me tightly, but gently, in a warm, comforting embrace. _

_In that moment, something within me changed. I barely knew Alex; he was just a boy in my Maths class. He didn't mean anything to me. he wasn't even a friend, really. But here, in his arms, I felt safer than I ever had in my life. Something about him made me feel things I had never felt before._

_I felt special._

_I felt loved._

_Alex didn't let go of me. He leaned away slightly, but kept his arms around me. He looked into my eyes again, very serious._

"_Becky," he sighed, finally smiling. His grin was infectious; I had to smile back._

"_Alex."_

_He took a deep breath. "I have something I need to tell you Becky."_

_I waited._

"_Becky, i... I love you."_

_I didn't realize at first that I had said the words with him. But when I did, my smile grew. He loved me. And I loved him. I was certain it was true._

_He gaped at me for a second, then smiled, a breathtaking smile of pure happiness. Then he leaned in, very slowly, and pressed his lips to mine._

That was my first kiss, and every time I kissed Alex, it seemed to get better. He was magical.

I was pulled out of my daydreams by Edward.

"Becky, Charlie's around the corner. We have to go." He smirked. "Unless you'd like to explain how we got here when neither of us has a car."

I laughed, my blissful mood lingering. "No thanks. Let's get out of here."

I got up and hugged Bella, promising to be in school the next day, before exiting through the back door and hurrying a few feet into the trees before I Changed. I didn't want to be incapacitated by her scent again.

Edward joined me a moment later, and we ran together through the trees.

When we reached the Cullen's house, the whole family was waiting for us. I was hugged by each of them in turn, assuring each that I was fine and there had never been any danger.

They finally let me leave around ten. I was exhausted; I could barely stand, much less run, so Alice drove me home.

Once again, I fell asleep to dreams of my darling Alex.


	11. Chapter 10: The Pack

**Hello again!**

**I'm sorry it's been so long since I updated this story, but writers block and other projects kind of got in the way. This has literally been sitting in my writing folder gathering dust for months, but I got it out during my holiday in France and forced myself to move past the sticking point I had reached mid-way through. Good news is, I finally got it done! Yey!**

**Can't say when the next chapter will be up, since I want to try and finish all my current half-finished chapters before I start on anything new, but I will try to keep the wait as short as possible.**

**Anyhoo, I got lots of writing done over the holiday, so I have a few more things coming your way in the next few days, including the conclusion of Trapped (sadness:( ) and a new chapter of A Differnt Perspective (smiles! :) ).**

**I'm gonna shut up and let you read now.**

**Review if you like it!**

**Glitterb**

**(Quick FYI: This chapter is a little over seven pages long on my writing program. Yeah.)**

Chapter 10: The Pack

The next week passed fairly uneventfully. I spent most evenings either at the Cullen's or Bella's house. We mostly just talked, getting to know each other better; or rather, them getting to know me.

It was hard for me, watching them, knowing that this relatively carefree atmosphere couldn't last; and yet I could do nothing. I could only do as I had been doing, and watch. But I didn't think this way often. I was generally distracted by the goings on around me. I was making other friends too, people I didn't even know about. There seemed to be crowds around me everywhere I went, asking questions almost faster than I could answer, only deterred at lunch time when Alice and Edward's presence made them uncomfortable. This allowed me time to get to know Angela and Ben, and I was soon joking and chatting with them like we were old friends. Mike continued to help me with my Spanish, and even joined us in the cafeteria once or twice.

The subject of the dance came up almost immediately. On Monday, Alice arrived at our table with an enormous grin on her face, proudly announcing that she had been put in charge of the organisation of the spring dance on Saturday night. She, Angela and I fell into discussions of dresses, shoes, hair and make up right away. I did, however, catch Bella's trademark grimace at the thought of dancing, and the 'please-don't-make-me-do-this' look she threw Edward. I wasn't interested enough to watch his response.

On Tuesday, I was at the Cullen's after school, and Alice convinced me to have another go on the piano. I was nervous, because Edward was there; but I sucked it up and managed to get through a fairly simple arrangement of Für Elise from memory with minimal mistakes.

I had just finished when my phone rang, the sound so unexpected that it made all of us jump. I dug it out of my bag and answered without bothering to check the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Hey Becky Boo."

"Alex!"

I was ecstatic to speak to Alex. We hadn't had any contact in all the time I had been away, and just hearing his voice was heavenly.

"Becky Boo," Emmett snorted. I rolled my eyes and smacked him round the head.

"One sec Lexi... Emmett, if you're going to make fun of me, at least do it when you're not within my reach."

"Something up?" Alex asked.

"No, Emmett's just being an ass, but what else is new."

He laughed with me. Emmett pouted.

"Love you really Em," I called over my shoulder as I stepped into the kitchen for some semblance of privacy.

"How are you?" I asked as soon as I was alone.

"Bored, frustrated, and thoroughly pissed." He answered with a huff.

"Aww, poor baby," I cooed. "What's up?"

"Dad got a new girlfriend."

"Is that a problem?"

"Not really, but... it's just... Samantha isn't exactly...what you'd expect...for Dad."

"Why? What is she like?"

"Well, she's... she's nice, in her way. She's only 25, and she's already semi retired."  
"What?" I giggled.

I could hear him smiling. "It's true. She's an ex-Playboy centre-fold with a part time modelling career still going. She's your typical California girl – blond hair, blue eyes, glaringly obvious breast augmentation..." He laughed. "Seriously, those things are like watermelons. I'm talking Katie Price huge"

I smiled too. His mood and my mood were directly linked.

"Look Lex, I understand it's difficult to accept someone new in your dad's life, especially someone you don't approve of. But as long as he's happy, that's what matters. It's not your decision to make. Okay?"

Alex sighed. "Yeah Becks, I get it. Think I'm gonna be the same with our kids? I probably won't think anyone is good enough for them."

I smiled sadly. "Maybe."

There was silence for a moment. I could just imagine Alex digesting what he had said to try and find the cause of my sadness. He knew me so well, I had no doubt that he could hear it. I imagined I could even hear the click as his brain worked it out.

"Oh God Becky, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset."

I had to giggle. He sounded so funny as he rapidly backtracked. "It's okay Alex, I don't mind. It's just kind of depressing, you know? Thinking about something that will never happen."

"Becky, you can't think like that. You're so much stronger than the others, I just know you're going to be fine. Please sweetheart, don't be sad."

I smiled. He always knew just what to say to make me feel better, but on this particular topic, I was a lost cause. I couldn't shake the feeling that my Mistake was on it's way; inevitable, like a hurricane following its course to the end. The end of everything.

"Don't you ever imagine it at all?" Alex asked in a whisper, bringing me back to reality. "Being grown up, living in the big house, surrounded by kids."

I sighed; it was a lovely picture he painted, and everything I could ever want. "Tell me more." I begged.

He chuckled. "All right. Try this. Imagine it's twenty years from now. We're married, we're happy. My grandparents have given us the house. Maybe they still live there, maybe they've moved out, you choose."

I considered for a moment. "They're living with us. Their health is starting to decline, but we take care of them."

"Perfect. Alright, we take care of them. And there's kids, tons of kids. Six or maybe seven, all girls. A whole crowd of little Beckys."

I laughed. "That's your dream? It sounds like a nightmare to me."

He chuckled quietly. "I think it's perfect. That's what I imagine for us, our life."

I hummed. "It does sound nice."

Alex sighed heavily. "God Becks, I miss you so much. Tell me you'll be home soon," he almost begged.

"Well, it's Tuesday here, and I come back on Sunday. That help?"

"Now I feel selfish. It's Wednesday here; I don't have to wait as long as you do."

I giggled. "Don't worry baby, it's not so bad. There's a dance on Saturday night, that should distract me."

"Oh really? Got a date yet?" he joked.

"Not yet, but I think Mike might be planning to ask me. He seems kind of interested."

"Doesn't he have a crush on Bella?"

I smiled. "Yep. But you know what boys are like. Always changing their minds."

He was suddenly serious. "Not me. I'll never change my mind about you."

"Me either."

"Wish I could go to the dance with you." he mumbled, and I could hear him pouting.

"Me too."

"Yeah. Oh, one sec Becks."

There was silence for a moment. When Alex spoke again, he sounded upset.

"Sorry Becky, I have to go. Dad wants me to go riding with him. I'll call you when I can, okay?"

"Alright Lexi. I love you."

"Love you too. See you Sunday."

"See you."

We hung up at the same time, something we always did. We didn't even think about it any more, it just happened. Neither of us wanted to be the first to go.

As soon as Alex's voice was gone, I felt sad. I didn't realise until he was gone just how much I really missed him when we were apart.

I wandered back into the living room and put my phone away. I didn't stay much longer, declining Esme's offer of dinner. I really just wanted to be alone right then.

By Wednesday, Alice's dance plans were in full swing, and she had successfully roped me into helping. Mike did indeed ask me to the dance after Spanish, and I politely declined, telling him I had a boyfriend. Unfortunately, that didn't stop Tyler having a go at lunchtime. I managed to keep my cool, calmly explaining that it didn't feel right going out with another boy, even as friends, when Alex was so far away. That did manage to register, and I didn't have to field any more unwelcome advances the rest of the day.

As the week progressed, my longing for Alex grew and grew and grew. I couldn't stop thinking about him; he was in my dreams every night, and in my thoughts almost every second. I searched desperately for distractions, and on Thursday, I decided to head down to La Push and see Jake. I had yet to explain my presence here or where I had come from to the pack, and I didn't want Sam to think I couldn't be trusted.

I debated internally as I drove down the winding forest road; did I go to his house and hope he was in? Or should I go into the centre of the village and hope to come across him there? In the end I decided it would be too complicated – not to mention stressful – trying to explain who I was to Billy should Jacob not be there, and drove straight to First Beach.

Luck was with me. As I pulled into the parking lot, I saw the figures huddled together around a burnt out fire. It wasn't raining, but the sky was murky and overcast, a storm threatening to break any second. The hulking silhouettes of the wolves were the only signs of life, besides the occasional passing car.

As I cut my engine, I saw them lift their heads to look at me. One figure – Jacob, I could see now – broke away from the crowd and began jogging across the asphalt towards me. I smiled as I climbed out of the car and raised the hood of my raincoat.

"Hey Becky!" Jake crowed, sounding much more happy than he had last week. "How are you?" He slung one arm around my shoulder as we walked towards where the others waited.

"Fine thanks Jake. Hey, sorry I flipped out on you last week. Yelling at you like that... it wasn't nice, and I didn't mean to be cruel."

He shrugged non-committally. "No big deal. You said too much, I get it. It happens sometimes. I shouldn't have tried to push you."

I smiled. "Are we going to trade apologies back and forth all afternoon, or actually have a productive conversation?"

Jacob laughed, but didn't reply. We had reached the small crowd by this point and I did my best to smile in a friendly way; one that hopefully didn't say 'I know everything about you, all your secrets and the best way to piss you of, and you don't know a thing about me, but trust me anyway'. That would not have been a good vibe.

All the wolves were wearing knee length jeans and dark coloured, skin-tight t-shirts; much lighter clothing than any other human would wear in the current weather conditions – less than I was wearing at least. There wasn't anyone else around, which was probably why they could get away with it. There were eight of them, including Jacob, which surprised me. I had gotten the impression that Quil hadn't phased until part way through Eclipse, yet there he was, looking at me curiously from between a rather anxious looking young man, who I recognised by his mental voice as Paul, and the slightly younger Embry. A woman – Leah – also stood slightly back from the group, with a smiling boy beside her who must have been Seth. That was a real shock. I wondered idly when the Clearwaters' first phases had been, but thought it would be rude to ask.

The tallest man, Sam, greeted me with a smile and introduced everyone around the circle, although it was fairly easy to figure out that Jared was the only one I hadn't identified already. Still, I kept my smile in place and nodded politely to each person.

"So," Embry said after the introductions were over, "Have we got ourselves another vampire girl? Or is this one a witch."

I laughed. "A bit of both, I guess, minus the whole 'hubble bubble' thing. And I'm just friends with the vampires, not dating one, so lets leave that title to Miss Swan, shall we?" I quirked an eyebrow at him before I continued into a short summary of the Necklace and its powers. Of course, then the wolves had questions, which I did my best to answer, and then Seth asked for a demonstration of what I could do. After checking that no one was around to see, I casually clicked my fingers and the smoking fire flared up with bright blue-green flames, the driftwood logs pulled back together from the ashes. I laughed as the Quileutes all jumped back in surprise.

"You never told us," Sam said when he had recovered, "What are you actually here for? What reason do you have for visiting us?"

I shrugged. "I felt like it. I was bored of normal life, and needed a change. My boyfriend noticed I was restless and suggested I come here, since I'm so obsessed with the Twilight books."

"He knows about you?" Jared asked.

I barely had time to nod before Leah huffed in frustration.

"Well that's just peachy," she grumbled. "I'm sure it's wonderful to be able to tell everyone you meet all about yourself. Sorry to burst your bubble sweetheart, but life's not so easy for the rest of us."

She wheeled and began to run towards the parking lot. Several of the others called out to her, but she ignored them, racing into to tree line across the road. I saw her leap forward, leaving a cloud of shredded fabric behind as she phased; her grey tail disappeared into the trees before anyone had time to react.

Seth started after her, but Paul grabbed his hand. "Leave her. You know how she gets when she's in one of these moods."

"Sorry about that," Jacob said to me, "Leah's still adjusting. And I think she's kind of a bitch anyway."

I frowned. "Yeah, well, you lot aren't exactly making it easy for her."

The boys all turned to me with looks of surprise and confusion, clearly wondering what was making me so grumpy all of a sudden. I sighed.

"You're completely clueless, aren't you? She's the only girl in a group of guys, and she has share your minds. She has to face the love her ex has for her _cousin_ – not that I'm blaming you for that Sam, I know it's involuntary – every single day. On top of that, she's dealing with an enormous change in herself, plus the death of her father; the way you all treat her isn't exactly helping. Do you ever think that maybe she doesn't want to be 'one of the boys' for the rest of her life?"

They all just gawked at me, completely stunned by my outburst. I huffed and shook my head. "Why do I even bother?"

I stepped around the fire, heading in the same direction Leah had gone.

"You'll never catch her!" Seth called. "She's fast, and she has a head start."

"Yeah?" I looked over my shoulder at him. "Well, I' pretty fast too."

I shifted to my vampire form, smirking at the astonished faces and wrinkled noses that comprised their reaction and took of at top speed, following Leah's scent through the woods. Seth was right, she was fast. Perhaps a different mode of transport was in order.

Still running, I concentrated, trying to make my powers work without speaking; I didn't have time for the whole 'I wish' spiel right now. My focus seemed to pay off, and I felt the power flow through me. Slotting in a mental get-out clause so my clothes didn't get ruined, I whispered, "Wolf," and leaned forward. Paws hit the ground instead of my hands as my clothes melted away, and I smiled triumphantly as I picked up the pace. Four legs definitely went faster than two.

_What do you want? _a disgruntled voice asked me. Good, Leah could hear me. That would make everything easier.

_Yeah, cos being in someone else's head is just peachy._

_I just want to talk to you Leah._

_Well, I don't want to talk to you. I don't care how you got here, just get out before I come back and give you a limp._

I sighed. _ I'm trying to be sympathetic. I know how the guys treat you, and I want to see that that treatment isn't justified. You are making that shockingly difficult._

_Oh, boo hoo. _Leah huffed.

I had caught up to her by then, and she gave up trying to run, turning to glare at me, teeth bared. I whimpered and stepped back in surrender. I wasn't afraid, but a fight between us would be the opposite of helpful right now.

_Why do you care? _Leah sneered. _Why don't you just go back to your perfect little life and stop interfering with mine. I don't want or need your sympathy._

_I know. _ I answered. She waited for me to say more, but I didn't. I couldn't.

_You're lucky. _She whispered. _You have love and family. You can choose who you love, instead of having some freaky force decide it for you, or make you this genetic dead end. You didn't turn into a giant wolf in the middle of your living room and cause your dad's _heart attack,_ because no one was looking out for the signs of it coming just because you're a _girl. _You didn't cause the resulting stress that pulled your brother into this too. You're lucky._

I couldn't speak for a moment. Of course I knew about Harry's heart attack; I just didn't realise it was Leah's first phase that triggered it. Or that she felt so responsible.

_It's not your fault. _I murmured softly, placatingly. _You didn't choose this._

_Did you?_

_No. _

Leah was pulled up short. She seemed to think that I had asked for this, that it was something I enjoyed and wanted.

_I do enjoy it. _I said, still calm. _Sometimes. But I never asked to be chosen. I never asked to be given this responsibility. It's hard; you don't know how hard. At least you had a whole pack of people to help you. Familiar faces, people you know, even if they do irritate you. You can share this with your brother. You can tell your mother. You have almost ten people here to help you. Me... I have one. I can't tell anybody. Alex is the only one who knows about me at home. Yes, I tell a lot of people when I travel, but that's just to make things easier. I don't tell everybody; just the people who need to know. Besides... _I gave her my best wolfy grin. _Turning into a giant wolf is way cooler than what I can do. This feels _amazing!

I started running around the little clearing we were in, chasing my tail and leaping over fallen logs, trying to work some of the excess energy in my muscles. Leah laughed at me, a throaty, barking laugh along with her human laugh in my head, but I didn't mind. It was nice to hear her happy. I calmed down after a minute, puffing and panting.

_I think you're the lucky one Leah. You can stop whenever you want. You can get away from this. I can't; I'm stuck with my fate for the rest of my life... to the bitter end. Although that's not so far away, really. _I pictured the other Sisters, remembered their mistakes, brought forward the ticking clock that was always in the back of my mind, counting down to the time when my mistake would be.

Leah gasped. _They'll kill you?_

I shook my head. _Not kill. Remove. It will be like I was never born. _I sighed. _You could die tomorrow, and people would remember you. Your mum and your brother and the rest of the pack would mourn for you. When I go, no one will mourn. No one will remember. There will be someone else in my place... or there might just be an empty space. Alex will love someone else, marry someone else, grow old and die with someone else. And I will have to sit and watch that, and watch another innocent girl go through everything I went through, and try to help her if I can. I'll do my best; that's all I can do._

Leah sat down on grassy forest floor, and I sat too, lying down with my head on my paws as she thought over everything I had told her.

_How are you not freaking out? s_he asked, her voice sombre. _I'd be terrified if it was me. Or I'd go crazy worrying. How do you stay calm?_

I shrugged. _I've accepted it. I know it will happen, and that there's no way out. _I chuckled. _Alex doesn't agree. He wants me to fight it, try to figure out why the Necklace exists so that I can break the cycle. He believes in me, even though _I _don't believe in me._

_He sounds like a good man. _Leah thought.

_He will be, one day. _I agreed. _But we're still just kids. He has a long way to go before he's done growing up. He'll make a lucky girl very happy someday. _I trailed off, feeling dejected again.

_Don't give up hope. _She encouraged me. _I've known you all of half an hour, and I can see you are strong and determined; no one else has bothered trying to talk to me when I don't want to talk, like you did. Whatever curse has been placed upon you, I have no doubt that you will break it._

We fell into contented silence; there was nothing more that could be said without us going round in circles or beginning to argue, and we both knew it. After about half a minute, Leah leaned back and raised her nose in the air, letting out a loud howl. I copied her, just for the hell of it. She laughed at me again, especially when I sat there like a dog, grinning widely with my tongue lolling out of my mouth. I saw myself in her minds eye, really looking at this new wolf form for the first time.

I was pure white, with a few tiny spots of what appeared to be grey. These actually turned out to be an iridescent silver that sparkled in the weak light filtering through the storm clouds; I didn't know if they would always be there, or if they were just a by-product of my having shifted into a wolf from my vampire form. My nose was pale pink where the others had black noses, and my muzzle was long and thin, like Leah's, a more feminine line than would be seen on the boys. My eyes were still the same colour too, though they were twice as big and much more round. I could see a slight change in the colouring of my fur around my eyes, making it almost look like I still had glasses on. It was odd not having the lenses in front of my eyes after so long, but the enhanced eye sight was worth the weirdness.

_Wow, Becky makes a pretty good wolf. _Jared commented, alerting me to the fact that my head suddenly felt very crowded, as ten other minds tried to share the space.

_Whoa, dizzy._ I said, shaking my head a little. _How do you guys cope with that?_

_Well, we didn't have it all come along at once. _Jacob joked good naturedly as the others filed into the clearing one by one._ Shouldn't you be used to this? I mean, you said you were a mind reader._

_My telepathy is selective. _I patiently explained. _I choose when I want to hear people, unless they deliberately throw their thoughts at me. If I was like Edward, hearing everything all at once, I think I'd go stir crazy. I don't know how that boy copes._

_Boy! _Paul scoffed. I growled.

_I know you don't like him, but he's my friend, they all are, and I'd appreciate it if you'd leave the slander for when I'm not around. _I thought grumpily. _Say whatever you like, just wait until I'm out of hearing range._

_Leave Becky alone, Paul. _Sam said softly, but with a subtle edge of authority. _She's allowed to socialise with whoever she wants. If she wants to be friends with the Cullens as well as us, I won't stop her. I certainly won't rescind my friendship because of who she chooses to hang out with at other times._

I smiled. _Thanks Sam. That means a lot. Now, if you don't mind, I think I'm going to go back to sharing my brain with me myself and I before I get a headache._

The wolves all laughed and sent various goodbyes my way.

_When are you coming back? _Seth asked eagerly, his sandy tail whipping back and forth.

_I don't know. _I admitted. _I'm actually going home on Sunday morning, and I won't be able to come back for a long time after that._

_I know. _Jacob piped up. _How about you come say goodbye to us on Saturday night? I think there's something going on that night._

_There's a dance at school. _I nodded. _That's a good idea Jake. If you guys meet me on the beach around eleven, we can say our goodbyes with no interruptions. Head home if I'm not there by midnight though; I don't want to keep you up._

Several wolves scoffed.

_Please. _Embry said, rolling his big eyes at me. _We stay up later than that for patrols on a nightly basis._

_Yeah, and you get grounded for it. _I reminded him, which made the others laugh.

_I really do have to go now guys. _I said apologetically, and there was another round of goodbyes before I headed back to the beach for my car.


End file.
